Richard Mann's pre-tournament fancies Brisbane Heat won the Big Bash on Wednesday, beating Sydney Sixers by 54 runs in the final at the SCG.
Tipped at 9/1 in our pre-tournament preview here, and at 9/2 for a top two league table finish, the Heat ran out deserving winners, dominating the final just as they had done the regular season.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, the Heat made a circumspect start until Josh Brown backed up his epic 140 in the Challenger with a typically brazen half century.
He was ably supported by Nathan McSweeney (33) and Max Bryant (29) before Matthew Renshaw added the finishing touches with 40 from 22 balls.
Set 167 to win a fourth Big Bash title, the Sixers were never really in the hunt as they slumped to 57-4 inside 10 overs, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb on a tacky surface taking plenty of spin.
In the end, they were bundled out for only 112 as paceman Spencer Johnson recorded career-best figures of 4-26.
"Unbelievable - I feel like we were the best team all year so we deserve the medal," said Johnson.
"I owe Heat everything, they brought me here last year and I didn't know where my career was going, so this is pretty cool."
The match capped a fruitful tournament for our resident cricket tipster who nailed big winners throughout the competition, including 22/1, 11/1 and 5/1 winners on New Year's Eve, and a 40/1 top batsman pick on New Year's Day.
Richard finished the Big Bash tournament just shy of 70 points in profit.
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