The Perth Scorchers are through to a home BBL grand final after cutting short Steve Smith's rescue mission in a 48-run 'qualifier' win over the Sydney Sixers at Optus Stadium.
Star NZ opener Finn Allen (49 off 30 balls) fell just short of a half-century as the Scorchers were restricted to 9-147 in what at first seemed an underwhelming batting display in Tuesday night's match.
In reply, the Sixers slumped to 5-64 as their top order floundered, but they still had a decent shot of pulling off the win while Smith was at the crease.
The star veteran was coming off scores of 54 and 100 and looked dangerous in moving to 37.
But when Smith departed in the 11th over after skying Mahli Beardman (3-20) to the fine leg boundary, Sydney's victory hopes nosedived.
The Sixers' disastrous plight was summed up when Sean Abbott was run out after his sliding bat dug into the ground, causing him to drop the bat and trip up - with replays showing he had failed to get a foot behind the line when the bails were taken off.
The visitors were skittled for 99 in just 15 overs in front of 31,781 fans.
The Scorchers will now host Sunday's BBL decider, with the Sixers thrust into a must-win 'Challenger' match on Friday against the winner of Wednesday night's 'knockout' battle between Hobart and Melbourne Stars.
"Maybe the occasion got to us chasing," Sixers captain Moises Henriques said.
"We were trying to possibly win the game too quickly. It felt like that, especially for our top order batters, myself included.
"We didn't really have to do anything too ridiculous, but I felt like we kept inviting the Scorchers into the game with some of the decision making, particularly early on in the innings."
The match started so well for Sydney, with master blaster Allen and some Optus Stadium shrubbery the only things that caught fire during a hit-and-miss Scorchers innings.
Allen blasted four sixes and two fours on the way to his 49 off 30 balls.
The Scorchers were well placed at 1-67 in the eighth over, but when Allen chopped Ben Dwarshuis onto his stumps, it completely halted Perth's momentum.
Josh Inglis (2), Cooper Connolly (8) and Laurie Evans (5) fell cheaply as the Scorchers crashed to 6-101 in the 15th over.
A short time later some shrubbery within the stadium's perimeter caught fire, with punters pouring water from the concrete walkway above in a bid to put the flames out.
The fire was eventually extinguished, and the Scorchers' innings also fizzled in similar fashion, with Ashton Turner (29 off 21) and Jhye Richardson (20 off 18) never able to quite slip the leash during their 44-run stand.
Dwarshuis (2-23 off four overs) was the Sixers' best bowler, while Jack Edwards (2-25), Starc (2-32) and Sean Abbott (0-24) also played crucial roles.
When the Sixers batted, first-over Scorchers specialist Connolly struck again first up, with Babar Azam stumped for a second-ball duck after failing to ground his back foot in time.
Beardman delivered a double blow in the fourth over, with Josh Philippe (13) and Moises Henriques (2) skying him for easy catches.
And when the 20-year-old returned to take the key scalp of Smith, the heaving home crowd could smell victory.
"It was a bit of a pinch me moment," Beardman said of sending Smith packing.
"it was hard to take the emotion out of it.
"That's someone that I've grown up idolising."
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