Brisbane Heat
Spencer Johnson picked up two wickets in his first over•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
Glenn Maxwell’s BBL record of 154 not out was seriously under threat before Brown finally holed out in the 17th over as Heat fell away at the death.
Strikers’ late fightback gave them faint hope as the pressure fell on skipper Matthew Short to lead from the front. He started fast before holing out in the fourth over to Johnson, who two balls later dismissed opener D’Arcy Short.
The burden fell on in-form No. 3 Jake Weatherald, who came in averaging 183 with a strike rate of 192.62 in his last three games since becoming a late-season inclusion.
But he could not get going and fell before drinks to a pumped-up Johnson and it was just a matter of time before Heat marched into their second straight final despite battling efforts from Thomas Kelly (41 in 24 balls) and Harry Nielsen (50 in 33).
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth