Scorchers go top, Thunder suffer fourth loss

Perth Scorchers moved to the top of the Big Bash League table with an emphatic win over Sydney Thunder at the WACA.

This was the Scorchers well-worn blueprint down to a tee: bat first - they were invited to do so by Thunder - let the top order accumulate - Michael Klinger and Ian Bell this time - before the allrounders bash them to an intimidating total - Mitchell Marsh took care of that part - then the bowlers squeeze out a comfortable win - Andrew Tye and David Willey were front and centre in that regard.

The outcome was a 50-run victory, which left champions Thunder rooted to the bottom of the table with four defeats from four games. Another against Melbourne Stars on Wednesday would end their title defence.

One of the most memorable aspects of Thunder's three-wicket defeat to Brisbane Heat last week was their horrific catching as the chase got tight. Jake Doran, Shane Watson and Andre Russell were all guilty, but from the first over in Perth, Thunder were much improved.

Ben Rohrer took a wonderful diving catch at cover to set the tone, then Pat Cummins' tumbling take at mid-on dismissed Michael Klinger and broke an 85-run partnership for the second wicket. The whole performance in the field was raised, with Chris Green notably impressive in the deep and debutant Jay Lenton tidy behind the stumps, even if he did miss a very sharp stumping. Adam Voges, the reprieved batsman, had to go back to the pavilion anyway, twinging his hamstring while attempting a big sweep shot.

Thunder's poor batting meant very little of that mattered on Sunday, but it was a small step in the right direction.

Like their female counterparts, the Scorchers look the strongest side in the BBL. They have a settled combination, and their additions slot perfectly into their plans. Bell builds a platform at the top of the batting order while Mitchell Johnson is a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs. In the absence of Brad Hogg, their spin bowling reserves seem weak, but Ashton Turner continues to impress as a resourceful and intelligent cricketer. He added a handy 20 runs in the slog overs, took an important wicket - Eoin Morgan's - and three good catches, too.

Given they are missing bowlers of the quality of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Joel Paris, the Scorchers' depth and excellence is remarkable. They did not have Ashton Agar today and it will be interesting to see how they handle the absence of the injured Voges and the outstanding David Willey - who again picked up wickets by swinging the white ball in the Powerplay. He dismissed both Thunder openers, with Ryan Gibson, bowled, and Kurtis Patterson, caught behind. Willey will be replaced in the squad by Tim Bresnan.

Nothing sums up Thunder's slide like the fact that their top scorer was Cummins, a bowler unlikely to describe himself as an allrounder. He has more runs than any of his team-mates this summer.

They may have lost the experience of Michael Hussey and Jacques Kallis to retirement, and the excellence of Usman Khawaja to international duty, but the fact is their senior batsmen have not performed. Watson, Russell, and to a lesser extent Morgan are struggling for form - all three fell very softly in Perth - failing to shape games and leaving the lower order too much to do.

The debutant Lenton, Chris Green and Cummins, until he was brilliantly run out by wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman with a direct hit from square leg, battled gamely, but it was too late. The same may be true of their season as a whole.

The weakness of Thunder's batting makes it even stranger that Watson, upon winning the toss, chose to bowl - although that is the current trend, with 11 of 13 captains opting to chase so far in the tournament. Scorchers, with their excellent record defending modest totals, must have been licking their lips.