Two entered, and now one Outlaw remains in this year’s KFC Big Bash League. Opening pair Alex Hales and Michael Lumb travelled to Australia for the tournament, to represent the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers respectively.

While Hales’ strikers ended the group stages in sixth of eight, Lumb’s Sixers proved difficult to beat and progressed into the semi-finals in second place. Lumb himself has 186 competition runs to his name, and has an impressive nine tournament sixes to his name. 

With the ball, the Sixers can call on the pace of Brett Lee and Mitchell Starc, while the likes of Brad Haddin, Steve Smith and Moises Henriques, who finished third in the competition’s Player of the Tournament vote, can be destructive with the bat.

In their way stand the Perth Scorchers, in what will be a replay of the inaugural competition final. Then, the Sixers were triumphant, but the Scorchers have shown their strengths through the group stages before leapfrogging Brisbane Heat in the final round of matches.

Another side with ties to Nottinghamshire, the Scorchers have the popular Adam Voges is on their roster. Voges spent four seasons at Trent Bridge and his proved central to Notts’ fortunes, scoring more than 5,000 runs for the county.

When the sides met earlier in the tournament, the Scorchers edged the contest by the narrowest of margins. The contest taken to a super over, Yasir Arafat took two wickets, before Voges scored the winning runs with the first ball of the reply.

The unbeaten Melbourne Stars, with eight wins from eight, go into the semi-finals as firm favourites and will be further boosted by the news that Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga has been made available for selection. 

The fast bowler had previously been recalled by Sri Lanka for a training programme, but following a special request by Stars management, he will be back in time for their clash against the Hurricanes.

The Stars boast an eleven laced with international pedigree. Australian internationals Cameron White, Brad Hodge, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade and James Muirhead all tasted success against England, while Luke Wright will return from the opposite side with a point to prove.

If that wasn’t enough, the Stars can also call on the experience of former Outlaw David Hussey if needed, whose prowess in Twenty20 cricket has proven the difference between victory and defeat in big matches on countless occasions.

In the Stars’ way stand the Hobart Hurricanes and the recently crowned Player of the Tournament Ben Dunk, whose impressive shows at the top of the order have seen him amass 348 runs at an average of 49.71. 

Aiding Dunk in his quest to upset the odds are experienced trio George Bailey, Ben Hilfenhaus and Dimitri Mascarenhas, all of whom will want nothing more than to overturn the Stars and reach the Hurricanes’ first Big Bash League final.

These sides will face off at the MCG ahead of the tournament’s final on Friday.