Hampshire skipper James Vince bids for fourth global T20 title in potentially feisty Big Bash League final in Sydney

James Vince could go head-to-head with Andrew Tye again as the Hampshire skipper bids for his fourth global T20 title this weekend.
James Vinceshows his frustration as he shakes hands with Andrew Tye at the end of last weekend's Big Bash League play-off. The two teams meet again in the final in Sydney tomorrow. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.James Vinceshows his frustration as he shakes hands with Andrew Tye at the end of last weekend's Big Bash League play-off. The two teams meet again in the final in Sydney tomorrow. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.
James Vinceshows his frustration as he shakes hands with Andrew Tye at the end of last weekend's Big Bash League play-off. The two teams meet again in the final in Sydney tomorrow. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

Vince was at the centre of a controversial finish to last weekend’s Australian Big Bash League qualifier between his Sydney Sixers side and Tye’s Perth Scorchers.

With him needing to hit a boundary to bring up his century and the Sixers’ victory, Tye sent down a wild legside wide.

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Vince’s frustration was all too obvious to see with the way he stared at Tye, stranded on 98 not out as the Sixers progressed to the final by nine wickets.

Due to the vagaries of the BBL play-offs, the losers of that game - which pitted the first and second teams from the group stage together - received a second chance to qualify for the final.

The Scorchers promptly took it, beating Brisbane Heat by 49 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis Method to set up the fourth BBL final between them and the Sixers since the franchise system was introduced in 2011/12.

Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone - who won two England T20 caps in 2017 - was the Scorchers star, belting 77 off just 39 balls with six sixes and five fours.

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Vince and co are bidding to become only the second team to defend the BBL crown after the Scorchers in 2014 and 2015 - though Victoria won the first three titles between 2006-08 when state teams rather than franchises competed.

Apart from winning last year’s BBL with the Sixers, Vince has also collected T20 winners medals with Hampshire in 2010 and 2012.

Sixers colleague Dan Christian was also part of the Hampshire side that won in 2010, and he is bidding for his eighth T20 winners medal tomorrow in front of a 30,000 plus crowd in Sydney.

Christian has previously won the BBL with three different teams - South Australia in 2011, Brisbane Heat in 2013 and Melbourne Renegades in 2019.

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He has also won three English titles, the one with Hampshire and two with Nottinghamshire in 2017 and 2020 - he was man of the match in both the semi and final last October.

Christian, 37, has also won the Mzanzi Super League in South Africa with the Jozi Stars and the Caribbean League with Trinbago Knight Riders.

That is an impressive record, but it pales in comparison with West Indies pair Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.

They have both collected a remarkable 14 T20 winners medals, with Bravo winning two World Cups in 2012 and 2016.

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Pollard, who only featured in one World Cup, has won six of his medals with the Mumbai Indians - four IPLs and two Champions League events.

Tomorrow’s final will be the first time the Sixers have played in Sydney in the current tournament due to coronavirus restrictions.

Capacity will be around 75 per cent and all 36,000 tickets quickly sold out.

Tye will almost certainly be cast as the pantomime villain of the piece following last weekend’s finale.

Vince, though, was told by Scorchers players that the bowler did not send down a wide on purpose.

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