"I hope they were watching and running scared" - Liam Livingstone on facing Sydney Sixers in BBL final
Perth Scorchers batsman Liam Livingstone hopes the Sydney Sixers are running scared after his side blew away Brisbane Heat in the Challenger to book their place in the BBL 2020-21 final.
Liam Livingstone played a massive role in the win as he scored 77 off 39 balls, stitching a 114-run opening stand with Cameron Bancroft. Perth Scorchers made 189/1 in 18.1 overs before rain interrupted play. As a result, Brisbane Heat were set a revised target of 200 in 18 overs, but they fell short by 49 runs.
Speaking about Saturday's marquee clash, Livingstone said the Scorchers are confident heading into the final, following their big win over Brisbane Heat.
"The confidence within the camp is pretty special ... we’ve almost played the perfect game [against Brisbane], I hope they were watching and they’re running scared. No, the Sixers have played great cricket. They’ve beaten us a couple of times. It’s away from here [Manuka Oval] thankfully. Playing this game [knock-out final] can go one of two ways. You can get a bit of momentum, which we hopefully got and they haven’t had a chance to get,” said Liam Livingstone.
The Scorchers and Sixers have faced each other three times already this season, with the former winning one and losing twice. The rivalry between the two teams intensified after Perth Scorchers' Andrew Tye bowled a wide ball to finish a game, with Sydney Sixers batsman James Vince needing two runs to reach his century. Moreover, it will be the fourth time these two teams will meet in the BBL final.
Liam Livingstone's BBL season so far
Liam Livingstone has primarily played a secondary role to Jason Roy this season. However, after Roy was ruled of the clash against Brisbane Heat due to an injury, Livingstone took up the challenge and played more freely to smash 77 off 39 balls, scoring his third fifty of BBL 2020-21.
It was also his highest-score in the present campaign. The Englishman has scored 381 runs at an average of 29.31, while his strike rate reads 134.6.