Perth’s spinners hand Guyana their first GSL defeat after Couch’s 43 from No. 10
Perth Scorchers XI were already out of the Global Super League when they bowled Guyana Amazon Warriors out for 121 at Providence. The 14-run win cost the hosts their unbeaten record two days before the final.
Jul 30, 2026
Perth Scorchers XI had nothing left to play for at Providence on Wednesday night. They were out of the Global Super League, knocked out a day earlier, and their reward for turning up was a game against the only unbeaten team in the tournament. They bowled Guyana Amazon Warriors out for 121 and won by 14 runs.
It should not have been close. Perth were 41 for 5 inside the first seven overs, with Matthew Forde carving through the top order, and 135 all out looked like a total the hosts would knock off in 15 overs. The Warriors needed 16.1 overs and did not get there.
Couch bats at No. 10 and top-scores
The innings was rescued from a position most teams do not come back from, and it was rescued by the two players furthest down the card. At 78 for 8 the Scorchers were heading for a total in the 90s. Brody Couch, in at No. 10, made 43 off 30 balls with four fours and three sixes. Dian Forrester anchored the other end for 35 from 34 balls, before he was run out. Their ninth-wicket stand was worth 54, and it turned a write-off into something worth defending.
Nabi’s 3 for 12 and Forde’s 3 for 21 were the figures that should have decided the match. Instead they became a footnote. Guyana had done the hard part and then watched a tail they had already broken add most of the runs.
Gurbaz flies, then the spinners take over
Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave the chase exactly the start it needed. He hit 42 from 16 balls, five of them sixes, and for those few overs 136 looked like a formality. Then he was gone, and the Perth spinners settled into the kind of grip that turns a small target into an awkward one.
Ashton Turner took 3 for 20. Sufyan Moqim took 2 for 18, Ashton Agar 2 for 29, and the middle order simply stopped scoring. Shimron Hetmyer made 31 and was the last man out, which tells you most of what you need to know about the support he got. The Warriors were all out for 121 with 23 balls unused.
The playoff picture is set
None of it changes where Guyana finish. They topped the table with six points and had already booked their place in Saturday’s final before the toss, so the defeat costs them nothing beyond the unbeaten record and a bit of momentum.
The second qualification spot was settled earlier the same day. San Francisco Unicorns beat Lahore Qalandars by seven wickets, chasing 153 with 28 balls to spare, and finished second on four points. Callum Stow was the difference with 4 for 25, and Shayan Jahangir’s 61 from 50 balls was not enough for the Qalandars, who go out along with Perth.
That sets up Friday’s qualifier between the Unicorns and Desert Vipers, the ILT20 champions who beat Perth by one wicket on Tuesday to end the Scorchers’ campaign. Both playoff games start at 19:00 in Guyana, which is 4:30am IST the following morning, so Indian viewers are looking at an early alarm on Saturday for the qualifier and again on Sunday for the final.
Guyana will watch that qualifier knowing they have a title to defend and a fresh reminder of how quickly this ground can turn. They had Perth eight down for 78 and still lost. On Saturday there is no table to fall back on.