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Teen sensation Sam Konstas was in the runs as the Sydney Thunder punched their ticket to the Big Bash League finals by defeating the Perth Scorchers.
The Sydney Thunder's resurgence will stretch into the Big Bash League finals after Test sensation Sam Konstas hit his second T20 half-century in a 61-run defeat of the Perth Scorchers.
Konstas (53 runs off 42 balls) was the sole survivor of a top-order collapse before a cameo from defiant No.9 Tom Andrews (37 from 13) powered the Thunder to 7-158 on a turning ENGIE Stadium pitch.
After the Scorchers wobbled to 6-63 at drinks with two run-outs allrounder Chris Green (3-13) thrived in the spin-friendly conditions to help skittle Perth for 97 in the 18th over.
After winning only one game last summer, the Thunder the result sit top of the ladder, albeit level on points with Hurricanes and Sixers who each play in the next two days.
More significant is they are now unable to be ousted from the competition's top-four ahead of their final match of the regular season against the Sydney Sixers.
"To get into the finals, we'll obviously be extremely happy about that over the next day or so but we obviously know that there's some more games out there to win," Andrews said.
"Hopefully we can take it later into the tournament and see what happens then."
The Scorchers' own play-off hopes hang by a thread and could be dashed by the time they face the Adelaide Strikers on Saturday.
In 13 previous summers, the five-time champion Scorchers have missed the finals only twice.
"(It's a) bad result for us, obviously, there's no hiding behind anything," said Scorchers spinner Ashton Agar.
"We still have to look forward to the next game, that's just what professionals do."
Teenage firebrand Konstas (53 off 42 balls) showed his maturity in anchoring the Thunder's innings after the hosts were sent in and had the breaks put on during the powerplay.
The Thunder lost David Warner (8) and Matthew Gilkes (8) in the same Lance Morris (3-43) over and went 60 balls without hitting a boundary as the Scorchers' spinners frustrated their foes.
Agar (1-14) and Cooper Connolly (1-16) were miserly in their four overs.
Konstas broke the drought with a trademark reverse sweep for four off would-be Test teammate Connolly in the 14th over - the only boundary the Scorchers conceded from spin in 60 balls.
The 19-year-old Konstas brought up his first half-century since returning from Test duties with a four down the ground before Nick Hobson sprinted at midwicket to dismiss him in the same Morris over.
After six recognised batters fell in single figures, Andrews breathed life into the Thunder's innings with three sixes among the six boundaries of his blistering cameo - including one over long off from the final ball of the innings.
Their season effectively on the line, the Scorchers came up with some diabolical decision-making in reply, losing key men Sam Fanning and Connolly to run outs amid the tough chase.
Aaron Hardie (22 off 17 balls) clipped straight to Green at mid on but inexplicably signalled for a run and watched as opener Fanning fell to a direct hit from the Thunder allrounder.
Connolly could consider himself a little unluckier after Gilkes picked him out with a direct hit from more than 35 metres away at mid-wicket.
It wasn't to be the last heroic fielding effort from the Thunder, whose captain Warner leapt to dismiss Agar at long off in the power surge and consign Perth to a wounded 7-76.
Green, who had made a handy unbeaten 20 with the bat, enticed Ashton Turner (4) to picking out Gilkes in the deep before ripping through the tail en route to a big win.
