Big Bash League: Mitch Marsh breaks the shackles as Perth Scorchers dominante defending champions Hobart

A savage century from Mitch Marsh and an all-round performance from Aaron Hardie have led the Perth Scorchers to a huge win over the defending Big Bash champions.

The Australian white-ball captain has had a torrid Big Bash campaign thus far, scoring just 25 runs at an average of 6.25 from his four games.

However, a new year brought a fresh start as he left his form woes in the past to feast on a buffet of Hurricanes bowling, posting 102 off just 58 balls on his way to man of the match honours.

He was well supported by Hardie, who picked up where he left off against the Sydney Thunder, unbeaten on 94 as he and Marsh put on a record 164 runs for the third wicket, the second biggest partnership in franchise history.

It left the Hurricanes chasing a mighty 229 for victory, and while they were up with the rate early, the Scorchers struck regularly enough to ensure they were always controlling the game on their way to a hugely impressive 40-run victory as Hobart finished 9-189.

Matthew Wade and Nikhil Chaudhary offered the most resistance with a rapid 50 partnership for the fifth wicket off just 20 balls, helped by a 38-run Power Surge.

But once Cooper Connolly (1-23) and Ashton Agar (3-38) removed them in consecutive overs, the Scorchers cruised to a hugely important victory.

It sees the Scorchers shore up their position in third with back-to-back away wins, putting them just two points behind the Hurricanes in second, with a game in hand at the halfway point of the season.

Marsh wasted no time in setting the tone, hammering Chris Jordan over midwicket off his first ball of 2026.

Fellow opener Finn Allen was given a life on 11 after Wade put down a chance low to his right as it dipped late after edging Riley Meredith behind.

However, Allen couldn’t make the most of it as he was duped by a Nathan Ellis slower ball that crashed into the top of off stump.

But the next mistake from the former Australian keeper would prove far more damaging, dropping Marsh on 18 as a quick leading edge left him wrong-footed and flew off his outstretched glove for four.

Still, the Hurricanes briefly controlled the momentum after Mitch Owen dished out some revenge to Cooper Connolly after being overlooked for the Twenty20 World Cup, removing him with the first ball of his spell as the star allrounder top-edged a pull straight in the air for a simple caught and bowled.

It is just the second time Connolly has fallen for a single-figure score this season, both coming against the Hurricanes.

It allowed Hobart to turn the screws, sneaking through quick overs of spin with just 27 runs coming from the five overs before the drinks break.

Looking to inject some life back into their innings, Scorchers took the Power Surge at the earliest opportunity and were helped by a wayward nine-ball over from Ellis.

Marsh was sweating on anything short, using his reach to pump balls into the short legside boundary.

Jordan then served up a series of low full tosses as Hardie, promoted to No.4 after finally finding touch against the Thunder, smashed him for six straight boundaries, including a six off the last ball that was dropped over the rope.

An eye-watering 38 runs came off the Surge, with the Scorchers now back in top gear.

Marsh brought up his first Big Bash 50 since 2022 shortly afterwards and then launched his own assault on Owen, taking him for 22 runs as he and Hardie brought up their 100-run partnership off just 54 balls.

The reintroduction of spin did not stem the bleeding as Marsh took just 22 balls to convert his 50 into a second Big Bash 100 as records tumbled.

A relieved Marsh pointed to the dugout and acknowledged the crowd in what was an otherwise subdued celebration, and was filthy to hole out in the final over.

Hardie was given four balls to chase his own century, but fell six runs short with the Scorchers putting on 149 runs in the last 10 overs.

The failure to defend 257 against the Heat would have been in the back of Turner’s mind as he was conscious not let any Hurricanes’ batters settle on a good batting deck, rapidly rotating through his bowlers.

Joel Paris got the early breakthrough, having worked over Owen with a series of outswingers, who tamely picked out mid-on trying to play across the line.

Agar then removed the dangerous-looking Tim Ward for 27 before Ben McDermott (18) and Mac Wright (16) led a brief recovery.

But unlike the Hurricanes, the Scorchers kept finding breakthroughs as Brody Couch undid Wright with a slower ball, before Hardie (2-36) added wickets to his runs, bowling McDermott for 18.

Once Wade and Chaudary fell in the space of six balls, the required run rate quickly ballooned from 14 to more than 20 to ensure some late lapses in the field would not prove costly, as the defending champions lost the first game at Ninja Stadium in 10 matches.