Opener Colin Munro top-edged the opening ball from Ben Dwarshuis to fine leg, which fell short of Sean Abbott – who misfielded the ball and allowed it to go for four.

Munro then skyed another ball into the deep, which Abbott initially appeared to catch. Munro believed the fielder had taken the grab and was ready to walk off the field, only to realise Abbott had dropped it – and was almost run-out as he scrambled back to his crease.

Then Munro was caught at the third time of asking by Jordan Silk, with the wild first over finishing 1-12.

Kirby Short joked on Fox Cricket: “I’m still recovering from that first over. That was absolutely outrageous, all sorts!”

But it didn’t take long for the Heat to rebound, thanks to a stunning explosion from second-gamer Joshua Brown.

29-year-old Brown smashed 16 runs off the fourth over, including a pair of sixes. The first one came off the top of the bat, with Brown telling his batting partner Nathan McSweeney: “I didn’t get that”.

If he didn’t quite catch that clearly, he soon found his range, smashing a host of boundaries around the park.

Brown reached 28* off 11 by the time the power play was done, with the Heat 1-47 off the first four overs.

Mark Howard laughed on Fox Cricket: “He is what we like to call a bums-on-seats-operator!”

And Gilchrist agreed: “Don’t look away!”

From no-name to Aussie legend’s ‘favourite player’: Second-gamer lights up BBL … with bat he made

Brown – who makes his own bats – had played the first game of the season before being dropped.

In the fifth over, Brown smashed yet another six, this time into the top section of the stands.

“Just found a new favourite player,” Gilchrist declared. “I love him!”

He brought up his 50 off just 19 balls – with three fours and five sixes. “I’m a bit stunned here,” Gilchrist said. “Get your hard hats out (in the stands).”

Brown finished with 62 off 23 – a strike rate of 269.67 – after being caught in the deep by Dwarshuis off Abbott’s bowling.

It was “an innings we’ll remember for a long, long time,” Mark Howard said.

Gilchrist said: “What a statement. What a way to announce yourself. That was fabulous batting.”

His departure left the Heat at 2-85, with Sam Billings and McSweeney taking the score to 2-111 by the halfway mark of their innings. They would build a 62 run partnership from just 44 balls.

Billings then fell for 28 off 21 in the 14th over. Dan Christian – in his 400th T20 game – bowling the batter with a slower ball in his first over to leave the Heat 3-147.

But 23-year-old McSweeney continued his patient and clinical knock, bringing up his own maiden half-century off 37 balls with a fine six.

He took the power surge and hit three-straight fours off Dwarshuis to move to an unbeaten 70 runs, finishing the 20-run over with a big six down the ground.

In the 18th over, captain Jimmy Peirson was dropped on eight runs by a desperately diving Jordan Silk. Peirson and McSweeney made it 32 runs off the power surge, before Peirson fell in the 19th over for 19 off 13, caught in the deep by Dan Christian off Hayden Kerr’s bowling.

Kerr’s over was a brilliant one, conceding just five singles to go with the wicket. Abbott was equally impressive in the final over, conceding five runs in the opening three balls before McSweeney was unfortunately run out.

McSweeney finished with 84 off 51 as the Heat best their previous-best total of 212 by 12 runs.

It was a torrid innings for the bowlers, with Jackson Bird walloped for 47 runs off his four wicket-less overs. Dwarshuis finished with 1-55 off his four. Abbot had 1-46, while Naveed went for 0-38.

TEAM NEWS

The Heat made two changes, bringing in opener Josh Brown and fellow batter Nathan McSweeney.

For the Sixers, opener Kurtis Patterson dropped out with James Vince promoted to top spot. Daniel Hughes joined the battling line-up at first drop. English quick Chris Jordan was left out due to fitness management, with Sean Abbott returning to the line-up for his 100th BBL game after being controversially left out of their last match.

“It’s probably out of his control but I hate resting,” Fox Cricket’s Brett Lee said last time out.

“I think when a bowler’s doing well and on top of their game, they should get to keep playing – they are only bowling four overs.”

Heat: Josh Brown, Colin Munro, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Billings, Jimmy Peirson (c, wk), Ross Whiteley, Michael Neser, James Bazley, Mark Steketee, Matt Kuhnemann, Mitch Swepson