Ashton Turner showcased his batting prowess on Sunday, scoring an impressive unbeaten 99 runs to help the Perth Scorchers secure a commanding 71-run victory over the Sydney Thunder at Sydney Showground. This performance was a huge factor in the team’s turnaround season. Secondly, it made Turner part of a truly elite club in Big Bash League history.
Turner came to the plate in a difficult spot for this team. The Scorchers were in dire straits, reeling at 3 for 34 in the sixth over. With grit and isometric strength, he used his body to prevent his team from sliding into the abyss, contributing an invaluable 202 runs to his team’s efforts. Despite falling just one run short of his maiden BBL century, Turner delivered a remarkable innings that included eight sixes off just 41 balls.
A Stellar Performance
Ashton Turner’s innings did not start with bells on, the skipper knowing he had to stabilize following a wobbly start to the Scorchers’ inning. With Perth now in urgent need of a strong performance, he immediately seized the initiative. After 20 runs, a wave of achievement hit him. He says, “When I hit 20, I was just like, ‘Hey, I’ve done something productive tonight.’”
From the beginning of his innings, Turner showed why he has long been able to clear the boundary at will. His onslaught began when he belted three runs off Chris Green’s ninth over. Then, he clouted a huge drive along the carpet through extra cover off Tanveer Sangha for another six. In the death overs, he greeted Daniel Sams with another maximum. As the crowd cheered in joyous disbelief, his nascent team had vaulted into a frontrunner position.
When the final over came around, Turner was on 86 runs. His thoughts were still on the pursuit of a high team score. He had a sense of always being under evaluation. He needed to have 200 as the number in his mind, and they were coming closer and closer to that cool cumulative team score.
Close Call for a Century
As the wickets continued to tumble, Turner soon found himself closing in on three figures. He pulverized two enormous sixes straight down long on’s throat in the last over. Along with those punishing blows, he advanced to 99 and came excruciatingly close to batting what would have been the fifth-fastest ton in BBL history. He closed the game with a dazzling 99 not out on the board. Instead of going for a century, he decided to paddle sweep the left-arm bowler for a one.
This close USAJOBS call came with unintended consequences. He was only the fourth player in BBL history to be left not out on 99. Despite this disappointment, without question Turner’s performance was the key to saving the Scorchers’ season.
Team Impact and Future Prospects
It was Turner’s fantastic innings that would ultimately see the Scorchers claim the victory. Most importantly, it revived their dreams of an exciting 2020 campaign. The team has had to overcome some serious obstacles in recent years. It was a particularly brutal day when they failed to defend their total of 260 runs. Reflecting on their recent performances, Turner emphasized the need for resilience: “We wanted to scrap together every run we could.”
The Perth Scorchers to the rescue, literally earning a lifesaving win over the Sydney Thunder! Nobody’s more excited about this turnaround than Turner, who’s been at the forefront! Off the field, his leadership on the field shines bright. Beyond a source of bragging rights, it powers the team’s momentum as they go further in the competition.
