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Perth Scorchers sealed top spot in the Big Bash League in their final group game with a six-wicket win over Melbourne Stars.
A partnership of 94 between Finn Allen (69) and Aaron Hardie (41) helped Scorchers pass their target of 131 inside the 17th over.
Stars seamer Haris Rauf had Mitchell Marsh (12) and Cooper Connolly (2) caught in the space of three balls, then dismissed Josh Inglis for one in his next over to leave Scorchers 26-3.
Hardie and Allen rebuilt the innings, and while the latter fell to Peter Siddle with the end of the match inside, Hardie stood firm and, with the scores level, cut a winning four in the following over.
Having been put into bat Stars were 15-3 at the end of the second over, but Marcus Stoinis (55) helped put together a platform alongside Campbell Kellaway (19) and Hilton Cartwright (13).
However Stoinis’ dismissal, caught off English seamer David Payne, started a collapse where Stars lost their last six wickets for 30 runs and were bowled out with 10 balls left in their innings.
Both sides now await Sunday’s final group game between fifth-placed Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers in fourth to see who they’ll face in the midweek qualifiers.
If Sixers win, they, rather than the now second-place Hobart Hurricanes, will play Scorchers in Tuesday’s qualifier match between the table toppers and runner-up.
No result would see Sixers face Stars, who stay third having missed out on their chance to go top with Saturday’s defeat.
Victory for Heat would see them leapfrog Sixers into the final qualifying place, setting up a knockout match with Stars on Wednesday.
In the earlier game Adelaide Strikers finished their season with an eight-wicket hammering of Melbourne Renegades.
Strikers, who are unable to make the play-offs, chased down their target of 100 inside the 12th over.
Renegades were immediately in trouble after being put into bat, seeing spinner Jerrssis Wadia dismiss Tim Seifert and Jake Fraser-McGurk with the first two balls of the innings.
South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi then took the last four Renegades wickets, finishing with figures of 4-15 as the Melbourne side were bowled out in the 17th over.
Captain Will Sutherland was the only Renegades batter to make it past the teens, reaching 38 before he became the third batter to fall to Shamsi.
Strikers openers Alex Carey and Matthew Short hit 22 and 30 respectively, before Chris Lynn (27) and Liam Scott (18) saw out the match.
Seventh-placed Renegades conclude their season in the bottom three for the sixth time in seven years, while Strikers end their campaign in sixth, having finished bottom last year.
