Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Stars by 21 runs
The Melbourne Stars set the early pace but the race isn’t over. And after their 21-run victory at the SCG on Monday night, the Sydney Sixers are about to get even stronger.
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The Melbourne Stars may have been streets ahead of everyone else for the past month but with the business approaching, the Sydney Sixers are just warming up.
Not only are the Sixers about to get some superstar reinforcements but they handed the Stars just their second loss of the season in their rain-affected match at the SCG on Monday night with skipper Moises Henriques giving Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell a little taste of their own medicine.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves by any stretch, especially after a couple of games that we’ve played over the last week,” Henriques said.
“It’s nice to get the points especially over the Stars but we’ve got to do it again next fixture.”
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BIG GUNS ARE BACK
Steve Smith will play his first BBL game in six years when he returns for the Sixers’ next match against the Brisbane Heat on Thursday and returns in great form after making 98 and 131 against India.
Josh Hazlewood then rejoins the Sixers for Saturday’s home clash against the Melbourne Renegades and his fellow paceman Sean Abbott should be back for the finals while Nathan Lyon has already settled back into the magenta uniform, capturing the prized wicket of Stoinis in last night’s 21-run win that secured the Sixers’ spot in the playoffs.
Reduced to 14 overs per side after Sydney’s innings was interrupted for almost an hour because of a heavy downpour, the Sixers went on the rampage to post a daunting total of 4-143 after Henriques and English import James Vince shared a club record third wicket partnership of 114 from just 8.2 overs.
POWER HITTING
Henriques smashed a franchise record eight sixes, including three maximums off Sandeep Lamichhane, leaving spectators ducking for cover in the Ladies’ and Bill O’Reilly stands.
Henriques was dismissed for 72 off 31 balls in the final over while Vince cleared the ropes twice to finish unbeaten on 41 from 22 deliveries, leaving the Stars chasing 147 for victory under the DLS method, which proved too much.
“It is just one result, it’s the same as when we don’t play well. It’s just one game and we’ve got to move forward,” Henriques said.
“We’ve played well tonight but it doesn’t mean we’re going to play well next game. We actually have to re-set and go through all our processes again and even learn from what we can do better.”
RARE DEFEAT
The Stars made a flying start to their reply, belting 35 off the first three overs, but just couldn’t keep up with the required run rate when they lost Hilton Cartwight (21) and Nic Maddison (16) early.
Stoinis, who broke the record for the highest individual score in BBL history with his 147 not out against the Sixers at the MCG a week ago, offered a glimmer of hope with four sixes in his rapid half century.
But when he departed for 62, caught by Henriques at mid-wicket after he hit one from Lyon straight into the night sky, it was all over bar the shouting with Maxwell only able to contribute 12 as the Stars – who have never won the BBL title despite being among the favourites every season – finished well short on 5-125.
“We’re probably in a luxury position where we’ve won so many games we’ve qualified first and we can actually try a few players in certain situations but I think every game is still very important,” Stars’ coach David Hussey said.
“We were desperate to win to keep the Sydney Sixers down in the bunch and make sure they’re clawing and fighting for every different position but they just played out of their skins, they were far too good.”
Originally published as Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Stars by 21 runs