Abbott assists the declining Scorchers to keep the Sixers in the race for first place
The Sydney Sixers defeated the league-leading Perth Scorchers to maintain their lead in the BBL standings. Sean Abbott turned in another clutch BBL performance, and Dan Christian bowled a crucial one-over spell.
When the Scorchers lost early wickets, Stephen Eskinazi led their chase, but when it came down to 23 needed off the final two overs, the Scorchers’ closing overs lacked the necessary power to win the match. Hayden Kerr held off the opposition’s 16th over with success.
For the first time this year, the Sixers had both Nathan Lyon and Steven Smith. On a night when most players struggled, Smith displayed some of his most fluid batting.
With only the combined overs from Ashton Agar and Ashton Turner taking significant punishment, the Scorchers’ bowlers had once again done an excellent job, but it turned out to be a rare instance where the batting wasn’t quite able to complete the task.
The Sixers needed a strong start with the ball because they felt outmatched by 151, and Abbott’s contribution to the power play gave them that chance.
His awareness of Kurtis Patterson on the rope while flicking a catch back up and holding the rebound to dismiss Cameron Bancroft was a big part of how he got his first wicket. When the all-around player missed a significant drive, Abbott destroyed Aaron Hardie’s stumps.
Josh Inglis didn’t last much longer when he clubbed Kerr to mid-on in the seventh over, leaving the Scorchers 34 for 3. Lyon believed he had Inglis out by leg before wicket, but the umpire called it on impact.
Scorchers were in the lead after Eskinazi and Turner rebuilt with a stand of 45 in five overs. Nick Hobson appeared to be playing the winning hand when he took on Lyon and deposited him 105 meters into the third tier of the Brewongle Stand at deep midwicket after Kerr had Turner taken at mid-off.
Even though Eskinazi was keeping the Scorchers in the game, Abbott struck once more in his final over, using a slower-ball bouncer to cause Hobson to misjudge the pitch.
Having to make a crucial choice for the 19th over, Sixers captain Moises Henriques decided against using Lyon’s final over and instead used Christian for the first time in the innings.
Agar was taken at deep midwicket by Christian in response, and AJ Tye was then removed after Eskinazi was warned for backing up.
Smith returned to the tournament for the first time since early 2020 following the mess of last season, when he was denied the chance to play for the Sixers despite being available and willing.
He was held down by Jason Behrendorff’s first over, and it took him six balls to get going. However, by the time he faced the left-armer again in the third over, he had picked up his pace.
A flat pull for six over a deep square leg was immediately followed by a powerful slash to the point. When he slog-swept Agar to deep midwicket in the seventh over, he hit a second six, and he was in the mood for a significant blow. But in the subsequent over, he forcefully pushed Peter Hatzoglou towards cover after Eskinazi made an outstanding catch.
Despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly a night for free-scoring, Philippe struggled throughout because he couldn’t find his timing. When he scooped to short fine leg with two overs remaining, his frustration was evident. His fifty came off 44 balls, but it never felt like he was about to break loose.
With just three boundaries, his final strike rate of 112.50 was by far the lowest of his 17 T20 fifties. He also had a rare moment of freedom when he hit Hatzoglou’s penultimate ball for six down the ground.
The only other six of the Sixers’ innings, aside from Smith and Philippe, came off the final ball from Ben Dwarshuis. Six runs made up the game’s total margin of victory.
The bowling depth of the scorchers is outstanding. This time, Matt Kelly and Lance Morris were dropped to make room for two left-arm quicks and two spinners because Jhye Richardson was still out due to injury.
However, Tye once more took the lead, despite the fact that he had no victories to show for it. He bowled his final three overs back-to-back and only allowed 13 runs off the bat, including the second over of the power surge when he hit Jordan Silk with four straight dot balls.