Big Bash 2021-22: Sydney Sixers condemn Melbourne Stars to greatest defeat in BBL history
The Sydney Sixers have obliterated the Melbourne Stars by inflicting the heaviest BBL defeat in history to leave the visitors in serious damage control mode after the season’s opening game.
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Sydney’s quest for a historic hat-trick of BBL titles got off to a record-breaking start on Sunday night as Josh Philippe slaughtered the Stars’ attack to guide the Sixers to an emphatic 152-run win in the season opener.
Last season’s player of the tournament dazzled the small crowd with a brutal 83 off 47 runs as he and skipper Moises Henriques (76 not out off 38) added a whirlwind 102 for the second wicket as the Sixers posted 4/213, their highest ever BBL total.
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In reply, the Stars were awful as they crumbled to their lowest score in Big Bash history as they were rolled for just 61 in a performance that should send shock waves through their camp.
It only took a couple of overs for Philippe to get his eye in, and when he did, he showed the sort of form that saw him play white ball cricket for Australia this year.
“I think he’s a future Australian Test player,” former Aussie quick Brett Lee said of Philippe.
As is his style, he favoured the leg side, sending Sam Rainbird into the Members Stand twice in the same over of the power surge.
The first landed on the roof and narrowly missed the favour clock, while the second one was caught in the crowd.
The Stars wished they had that sort of surety in the field after former Sixer Peter Nevill spilled a towering ball to give James Vince a life before he fell for 44.
This is a stacked team, and if Philippe and Vince continue to assault attacks from the outset, there’s no reason why the Sixers can’t go back-to-back-to-back.
“I felt it was the best form I’ve had coming into a BBL,” Philippe said.
“I reckon that’s the biggest six I’ve ever hit in my life.”
Stars-struck and it showed
The visitors were dealt a massive blow when superstar allrounder Marcus Stoinis was ruled out with a side strain that he picked up at the T20 World Cup, and it set the tone for a miserable night in Sydney.
The men in green, who finished down in seventh last season, missed Stoinis’ aggression and aura as they were totally outplayed in all facets as they suffered the heaviest defeat in BBL history.
The chase started disastrously with new recruit Joe Clarke and Nick Larkin both falling to Steve O’Keefe in the first over, before skipper Glenn Maxwell was knocked over for just five.
“It wasn’t a great night,” Maxwell said.
“It was a tough initiation for these young guys, but it was a great learning curve for them and they’ll only be better for the experience.”
O’Keefe, who turns 37 later in the week, then took a screamer in the outfield as Hayden Kerr picked up two wickets in as many deliveries to cap a memorable sixth over.
O’Keefe finished with the remarkable figures of 4-14 from his four overs as the Stars narrowly avoided the lowest score in competition history.
“He’s an unbelievable player and he seems to do it for us all the time. I love being behind the stumps to him,” Philippe said of the spinner.
Maxwell is confident Stoinis will return for his side’s next game against the Thunder on Friday as the men in green look to bounce back from their disastrous season-opening loss.
Stoinis’ return could add some much-needed starch at the top of the order, and Stars fans will be sweating on his fitness as he looks to overcome a side strain that has hampered him since the Indian premier League.
“He played the practice game and actually hit the ball pretty well, but just thought he wasn’t quite ready to go for a Big Bash game,” Maxwell said.
The big-hitting allrounder is just one of a host of players the Stars were missing on Sunday night, but they should get some troops back in the coming weeks.
Nathan Coulter-Nile and Joe Burns could come into the side for Friday’s game, while Melbourne is also reportedly set to sign West Indian veteran Andre Russell.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of guys who are yet to turn up from flights,” Maxwell said.
“It’s been a hard start with ‘Stoin’ getting injured recently, so it’s probably put us behind where we would have liked to have been for round one, but you can’t win the tournament from round one.
“We’re glad that it’s done now and we can probably just put it behind us and move onto round two.
“It wasn’t a great night.
“It was a tough initiation for these young guys, but it was a great learning curve for them and they’ll only be better for the experience.”
Send in the reinforcements
Things couldn’t have started any worse for Melbourne, but the Stars should get a boost in the coming weeks with West Indian veteran Andre Russell set to join the team in the coming days.
His inclusion would provide more firepower in the lower order, while his death bowling will come in handy after they struggled to contain the Sixers on Sunday.
They’ll also want a bit more from their other international signing Syed Faridoun. The spinner brought back memories of Paul Adams with his eccentric action, but he went wicketless and conceded nearly 10 runs an over.
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Originally published as Big Bash 2021-22: Sydney Sixers condemn Melbourne Stars to greatest defeat in BBL history
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