The final round match of BBL|03 has the raging tournament favourites, the undefeated Melbourne Stars hosting the fast-finishing Perth Scorchers at the MCG, a venue already confirmed as a host of Big Semi Final 1, to be played on Tuesday February 4.

While the Stars are confirmed as hosts of the first semi, this match will decide who will host the second semi-final. If the Scorchers win, they will host Big Semi Final 2 on Wednesday February 5 at TheFurnace. If they lose and the Sixers win against the Thunder, the Sixers get an SCG semi-final.

Perth come into this game unbeaten in four starts in 2014, but have been dealt a blow this week with news strike bowler, Pakistan international Yasir Arafat has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament. Arafat injured the thumb on his bowling hand in Perth’s win over the Adelaide Strikers, rupturing a key ligament while diving in the field. And as the paceman was already a replacement for original international signing Dwayne Smith, BBL regulations state that Arafat will not be able to be replaced by another overseas player.

The Stars have also had some injury news, with medium-pacer Daniel Worrall passed fit to resume his place in the side. Australian Twenty20 squad bolter, leggie James Muirhead, has been subsequently removed from the Stars’ 18-man squad.

In big news, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez will represent the Stars for the rest of the season, replacing recalled Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga. Hafeez was tied to rivals the Renegades before international selection quashed those plans. Available now, the Stars have swooped and will hope he has more impact than he did in Pakistan’s recent Test series.

Key Battle: Brad Hodge v Simon Katich
The two old dogs of the comp will lead their respective sides on Monday, Not only will they call the shots, but they are the key wicket in each line-up. Hodge’s form earned him a call up to the Prime Minister’s XI fixture against England, and Katich has prompted a ‘bring back Kat’ campaign that is only a few good tweets from taking the world by storm. You get the feeling that whoever top scores will have a big say in his team’s outcome.

Dark Horse: Craig Simmons
It hardly seems right that the man who blasted the fastest ever BBL hundred last start could be dubbed the ‘dark horse’, but with a ‘feast or famine’ tournament so far with the bat, getting Simmons early remains a chance. In his four innings in BBL|03, Simmons still doesn’t have a double-figure score to his name, making 9, 8, 0, and 102. Get him early and you’re set. Let him get away, though, and look out.

Last Time
BBL|02 Big Semi Final 2, January 16 2013 @ The Furnace: In one of the most dramatic finishes in BBL history, the Scorchers won through the BBL|02 Final having looked gone for all money.

After cruising to 1/159 in the 16th over, rain intervened and reduced the Stars’ innings to 18 overs, where they finished 2/183. More rain in the interval reduced the chase to 17 overs initially and then again to 13 overs, setting the Scorchers 139 to win.

By the final over and with eight wickets still in hand, Perth needed 10 from James Faulkner’s final over, and Jackson Bird dropped Mike Hussey on the square boundary off the first ball. With Adam Voges on strike and needing three to win from the final ball, Voges missed a wide yorker, with Hussey coming through for the bye. A no-ball had been called though; originally it was thought to be for the Stars having only three fielders inside the circle. However, Faulkner had also overstepped.

Hussey’s bye meant only one was required from the re-bowled final ball, which ‘Mr Cricket’ promptly hit to the mid-on boundary, sparking wild scenes of celebration both on, and off the field at the WACA.

Squads
Stars: Brad Hodge ©, Scott Boland, Mohammed Hafeez, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Clive Rose, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Luke Wright

Scorchers: Simon Katich ©, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Brad Hogg, Mitch Marsh, Joel Paris, Craig Simmons, Alfonso Thomas, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman

Facts and Figures
There’s some history between these two sides at the pointy end of seasons, with the Scorchers holding a perfect record against the Stars in Big Semi Finals. Along with the BBL|02 win in a rain-reduced affair, the Scorchers also won through the BBL|01 Final, restricting the Stars to 8/163, having been set 175 to win.

The mark of just how good a side the Stars are in 2013/2014 is their depth. Missing James Faulkner and Lasith Malinga last Tuesday night, part-timers Marcus Stoinis (2/12 from his 2 overs) and David Hussey (1/19 from his 4 overs) rolled their arms over alongside the Stars’ strike-bowlers, restricting the Hobart Hurricanes to 9/131 from their 20 overs.

Heading into Round 7, Craig Simmons had only managed 17 runs from three games. He now has the highest score and only century of BBL|03, and now also holds the BBL record for the fastest ton – from 39 balls, including eight fours and eight sixes. Simmons’ 102 is the fifth highest score in the history the KFC T20 Big Bash League, and is the highest ever score for Perth, eclipsing Shaun Marsh’s 99* against the Melbourne Renegades in BBL|01.

Broadcast: from 1:30pm AEDT on Channel Ten, and on Fairfax Radio Network.

Source: www.bigbash.com.au