Big Bash League: Melbourne Stars wicketkeeper Sam Harper voted league’s best as Perth Scorchers miss out

Perth Scorchers finished top of the table en route to booking a home Big Bash decider, but they were nowhere to be seen as the Player of the Tournament was revealed.

The award, which sees the two standing umpires vote for the best player in every regular-season game, was handed out on Wednesday with Melbourne Stars wicketkeeper Sam Harper finishing top of the leaderboard with 16 votes, one ahead of Liam Scott and David Warner.

However, there was no room for a single Scorcher in the top five, with Harper’s Stars teammate Tom Curran and Sydney Sixer Jack Edwards rounding out the leaderboard.

Harper was late signing for the Stars, having scored just 180 runs at 11.25 in his past two seasons, but was handed a one-year contract in August.

The 29-year-old seized his opportunity, slamming 371 runs to finish third on the run-scoring charts, at an average of more than 60 with a strike rate of 155, while contributing 13 dismissals with the gloves.

Scorchers opener Finn Allen finished the regular season second on the run-scoring charts with 26 more runs than Harper at a higher strike rate of 186, while Aaron Hardie was not far behind in fifth with 317 runs at an average of more than 40 and also took 10 wickets, but neither got a look in.

“I certainly invested a lot of time in the winter into my T20 game, and there’s also been a lot of moments throughout the past five to 10 years in BBL when I have done well and it’s just not been consistent enough,” Harper said last week.

“So a few learnings from that, and then just trying to make it a consistent game in, game out and not just two or three games a season.

“I’ve probably been a little bit less funky and (keeping it) pretty simple and really just trying to hit good shots.”

The Team of the Tournament, as voted by the eight coaches in the league, will be revealed on Thursday.