MLS vs SYS: Vince, Abbott dominate Melbourne Stars
NSW announce squad for season opener against WA
Watch: James Pattinson dangerously hurls ball at Daniel Hughes in follow-through, gets suspended
Match Report: Vince’s blitz blows scorchers away; glides Sixers into consecutive BBL final
Sixers opener James Vince it seems had saved the best for the last as he brought out his best in the season so far, scoring a brilliant 98* to beat Scorchers comprehensively at Manuka Oval and take his team to consecutive BBL finals. Vince missed out on the opportunity to score the first hundred for Sixers in this year’s league as he was denied the opportunity by an Andrew Tye wide when the Men in Pink needed one to win and, he needed two for the century. With this win, the Sixers have also reserved a right to play at their home ground the Sydney Cricket ground for the first time in BBL10. Chasing a moderate total of 168 set up by the Scorchers, the Sixers got off to a great start as Josh Philippe and James Vince took the team to 92 in just nine overs. They almost got the match away from the Scorchers with the opening partnership and if there was any hope left for Scorchers revival in the game, it was downed by the second wicket partnership between Vince and Hughes. The two added 76 in just 49 balls and got over with the match pretty quick. Earlier in the evening, contrary to the expectations, Ashton Turner, the Scorchers skipper won the toss and decided to bat first. His decision backfired as there was a lot of dew in the second innings, which as apparent from his decision, he and the Scorchers management did not expect. What cost them more was the fact that they were not being able to get to a good total to defend in the second innings when the dew hit in. The Scorchers were hurried on by the pace of Ben Dwarshuis and Sean Abbott early on as they lost wickets regularly. It was only after josh Inglis got together with Colin Munro to get Scorchers out of the mess as they two of them steadied the ship adding 42 of 36 balls before Munro was trapped by Bird via Jordan Silk on the boundary lines. Mitchell Marsh then had a howler of a decision by Umpire giving him out caught behind when he clearly hadn’t touched the ball. Had it not been for the partnership between skipper Turner and Inglis, getting to 150 seemed tough for the Orange brigade at one point of time. Inglis, who has been in great touch in this entire season, scored an important 69* off 41 balls while Turner got 33 off 22 as they added 59 of 34 balls to take Scorchers to a fighting total of 167 in 20 overs. Having lost the Qualifier, Scorchers would now await the winner of the Knockout between Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder to play the Challenger at the Optus in Perth, to be played on 04th February.
BBL10 | Preview: Thunder face Sixers in Sydney Smash as they fight for survival
It is going to be a battle for survival for the Thunder as they take on the cross-town rivals Sixers in what is going to be the most important game of their campaign in Adelaide. The Men in Fluorescent Green have lost three games in a row and hence what was looking like a certainty a few days ago, their chances of making it to the Playoffs have gotten slimmer by the day. This match is also important because if they are not able to win this one, the would-be facing Adelaide in two games straightaway at the Strikers’ home ground, winning those two matches on the trot would become very difficult, especially considering the form of the Strikers in their last game against the Heat. In this second Smash of the season, apart from all these things, avenging the last defeat would also be somewhere in the corner of all Thunder men's minds. Ferguson must find the right match The problem with the Thunder team in the last three games have been the throwing away of the wickets and all key batsmen getting out all at once. It is something that the team needs to look at and address as soon as possible. Even after having the top four as strong as they have with the likes of Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Ferguson himself, and then Billings coming at four, they haven’t really been able to utilize the death overs or even the power surge. On a batting-friendly Adelaide track, it would hence be necessary for skipper Ferguson to either anchor the innings or delegate it to someone like Khawaja and then let there be a free flow of runs from the other end. Similarly in the bowling department, their dependence on just Daniel Sams wouldn’t do any good as he wouldn’t be available for the three most important games of the Thunder campaign after getting a bone and ligament injury against Hurricanes at Manuka Oval. It is therefore important that the rest of the fast bowlers strategize their areas to bowl in and which overs they will bowl alongside the two spinners in Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green. Henriques, Abbott boost to the Sixers Already in a very strong position as of now, the Sixers have been given a big boost in the form of their skipper Moises Henriques and fast bowling all-rounder Sean Abbott joining them in the Sydney Smash. While this would pose selection problems, but at the same time, it is going to be a real challenge for the opposition to face a stronger Sixers team than they faced last time around at Manuka. With Josh Philippe and Steve O’Keefe in the best of their forms and two great all-rounders in Dan Christian and Carlos Brathwaite already available and going great, the inclusion of Henriques and Abbot is something that will boost the chances of Sixers going 2-0 in the Sydney Smash this year, until and unless Thunder find some inspiration from within. Sixers vs Thunder: Match Details Match Number- 48 Date and Time- Jan 22, 2021, 01:45:00 pm IST, 07:15pm Local, 08.15 am GMT Venue- Adelaide Oval Broadcast- Sony LIV, Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The Adelaide wicket looks like a usual T20 wicket with a lot of runs scoring opportunities for batsmen and the bowlers have to really slog it out to get desired results. The only way bowlers can overpower the men with the willow in their hands is by being consistent with their variations. Bowling length or in a particular channel wouldn’t help on this wicket until and unless you have 200 runs in the kitty. Weather and Bat Flip The skies are going to be clear and the temperature perfectly all right for a cricket game hovering in the twenties of teh celsius. In such a situation, a skipper winning the toss would go for fielding first, although batting first wouldn’t be a bad option either, especially for Sixers to put pressure on the Thunder batsmen by scoring big in the first innings. Strongest XI Sixers Josh Philippe (wk), Daniel Hughes, James Vince, Moises Henriques(c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve O'Keefe, Sean Abbott, Jake Ball, Lloyd Pope Strongest XI Thunder Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings (wk), Chris Tremain, Oliver Davies, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha
BBL10 | Match Preview: Top spot in contention as Thunder face Sixers in the Sydney Derby
As the action of the BBL returns to Manuka Oval in Canberra once again, two teams at the top of the table, separated by just two points between them will collide to prove their dominance over the other and to emerge as the team to beat in the 10th edition of the league. Although it is taking place in Canberra, the Sydney derby promises to be the match of the season as two very evenly matched sides will be going against each other. Battle of the batting heavyweights Both the Thunder as well as Sixers have gained victories in the tournament so far courtesy of their superb batting display. Although the last few matches of both the teams might give a different account. In the top 10 run scorer’s list, Sixers have two players in Josh Philippe and skipper Daniel Hughes while Thunder too have Alex Hales and skipper Callum Ferguson in the same list. Usman Khawaja is not far away from making the list either sitting at the 12th position. It is therefore among these batsmen where the real fight between the two teams would take place. The form of these players along with the likes of all-rounders Dan Christian and Ben Cutting will be one of the main factors deciding the outcome of the game Thunder spin duo vs Sixers pace quartet The thunder team has been blessed with two very different spinners who are similar in the way that they like to pick wickets. Among them, they have so far got 27 wickets and are part of the top ten wicket-takers in this season’s BBL. The 19-year-old Tanveer Sangha has impressed all with his leg-spin variations while Chris Green and his adding yorkers with the off-spin has been a cause of worry for many. Sangha would also be looking to regain the top spot on the wicket-takers list as he is just two wickets away from getting there. On the contrary, the Sixers attack looks a bit weak, especially after the departure of Jason Holder and due to the unavailability of the likes of Mitchell Starc and Sean Abbott due to national duties. However the availability of Jackson Bird, Jake Ball, and the spinners in Loyd Pope and Steve O’ Keefe along with all-rounders Dan Christian and Carlos Brathwaite has somewhat filled in that gap and as a result, the team seems to be doing just fine. However in comparison to the Thunder spin duo, the Sixers attack looks a bit weak and hence a lot will depend on the all-round abilities of Christian and Brathwaite to take the Sixers over the line, as was seen in the last game against the Heat. Christian single-handedly took Sixers to a thrilling victory with his astonishing batting display. Sixers vs Thunder: Match Details Match Number- 38 Date and Time- Jan 12, 2021, 1:45:00 PM IST, 07.15 PM Local, 08.30 AM GMT Venue- Manuka Oval, Canberra Broadcast and Live Stream- Sony Six, Sony LIV Pitch Report Manuka Oval earlier presented a wicket that had something for the bowlers if they hit the right lengths and batsmen couldn’t run away with the game. The scores were generally at par except for the last two games where the side's batting first went past 200. Soin this game, a true wicket with something for both the bowlers and the batters in it is expected. Weather and Bat Flip The weather is going to be cloudy throughout the game assisting a bit of swing and the spinners would get a bit of drift as the humidity would be on a bit of high in the second innings as well. In such a scenario, the team winning the bat flip would like to bat first and put a good total on the board to defend. Sixers Strongest XI Josh Philippe (wk), Jack Edwards, James Vince, Daniel Hughes (c), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve OKeefe, Jackson Bird, Jake Ball, Lloyd Pope Thunder Strongest XI Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings (wk), Alex Ross, Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green, Adam Milne, Tanveer Sangha
BBL10 | Match Report: Dan Christian wins a last ball thriller for Sixers against Heat
Sometimes, it’s just your day and today was the day of 37-year-old Sixers all-rounder Dan Christian who won a thriller of a game that went right down to the last ball. Courtesy of a huge six, two scare doubles, a dropped catch, and a full toss in the last over by Xavier Bartlett, Christian got the Sixers past the Heat score of 148 with three wickets remaining. With this win, the sixers now occupy the top position in the 10th edition of the Big Bash League. The phenomenon called Daniel Christian Joining his captain Daniel Hughes with a team score of 54 in the ninth over, the new south wales born Christian rebuilt the innings and took the Sixers to a position from where they could attack. He showed the first sign of aggression in the power surge where he hit Lewis Gregory for four right on the very first delivery. Although in the rest of the over, he couldn’t hit any more boundaries. But in the very next over he hit Mark Steketee for 20 runs and announced his arrival at the crease, at the same time ringing the warning bells for the Heat, who until then had controlled the game quite well. Apart from boundary hitting, what was impressive was his running, especially the two runs that he ran on the penultimate ball when the team needed three from two and he did not want to expose Jackson Bird to the last ball when two runs would have been required off it. He almost leaped from two yards away from the crease to complete the runs. At the age of 37, he was doing such acrobatics, putting his body on the line, which just goes to showcase his top-level commitment to the team. Power surge and the change in dynamics The power surge has proved vital in the entire tournament and once again it was the game-changer for the Sydney side. Taken in the 15th over when Sixers required 62 off the 36 deliveries, it eased the way ahead for the guests at the Carrara Oval. Gregory, the English all-rounder was hit for 17 runs in the first power surge over where Hughes hit him for three overs. In the second over, Steketee was hit for three huge sixes and conceded a total of 20 runs by Christian, easing out the run rate pressure to a bare minimum. Chris Lynn, having captained the Heat brilliantly, made just one mistake in the entire game and that was not saving one of Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman Over for the power surge, especially after the impressive record that he has had in the surge. The Bazely intervention With Hughes and Christian fully set at the crease having built a partnership of 72 runs in 46 balls, and Sixers needing just 23 runs off 22 balls, everything was going in the favour of the Pinks. But just then the Heat skipper Lynn had a last throw of the dice as he called in James Bazley for an over, who had given just seven runs in his previous over. Out of the blue, Bazley not only picked the wicket of Hughes but only conceded four runs. In the next over Steketee too just gave away only four runs while removing Carlos Brathwaite alongside. This took the target to 17 from 12 and Bazley was handed the ball once again. This time around, Bazley once again proved to be the right choice as he not only removed Steve OKeefe but gave away just six runs only. Among those six was a brilliantly struck six by Christian who converted a yorker into a half volley and dug it out past the sweeper cover for four. In the last over with one run required, Bartlett was hit for a massive six on the very first ball. The tall man Bartlett erred on only two deliveries in the last over, the first one being hit for six and teh last one where after getting eight close-in fielders to save a single, he bowled a full toss on the legs. And those two were enough for Christian and Sixers to take the game away from the Heat. Bash Boost drama and the brilliant bowling from Heat Being able to set only a small target of 149 against an accomplished batting lineup like that of the sixers, the Heat needed some extraordinary bowling and that is exactly what they got. Bartleet and Jack Wildermuth started the proceedings really well, giving nothing away to the Sixers opener. The tight bowling resulted in quick wickets as well, even as there were edges flying over slips and third man and few of the catches being dropped as well. The going was so smooth that Wildermuth was bowled out in his first spell itself. The 19-year-old Afghan, Mujeeb too joined the party as he picked crucial wickets of James Vince and Jordan Silk giving a huge setback to the Sixers and their chase. At one stage, it all came down to the Bash Boost point. Sixers had needed 7 from 12 to get the Boost but Mujeeb bowled a perfect over dismissing Silk and giving away just a single in that over. With Six required from six, Steketee was called upon. He bowled some brilliant deliveries. The equation came down to two from one and on the last ball, Hughes hawked the only wayward delivery. Over deep square and ran two runs to get the Bash Boost point. Heat batsmen did not apply themselves Earlier in the day, Heat after being asked to bat first by the Sydney team couldn’t just get going as they were unable to read the pitch and tried to score off every ball. This led to some suicidal shots being played by the Heat batsmen. Max Byant, Joe Denly, Wildermuth, and Jimmy Pierson, all got out by playing a shot which they should never have. Especially Widermuth needed to be there at the crease with Gregory who was hitting the balls real nice. Had the 27-year-old Queensdlader stayed there, the Heat could have added another 10-15 runs in their total which could have made all the difference. As a result, only Lynn got to a respectable score of 56 from 44 balls. And 149 was never going to be a challenging total, but courtesy of the Heat bowlers, this low-scoring thriller came out to be one of the best games of the tournament so far. Ordinary fielding Known for its high fielding standards, the BBL has been a mine that produces brilliant fieldsmen every year who set new trends. Jordan Silk and Max Bryant have been among the best of the fielder as well. But in this match, Bryant dropped a comparatively easy catch on the boundary lines. And all in all, there were too many dropped catches in the entire game. Lynn was dropped thrice while Christian had two chances one drop and one easy run out of him being missed as well. What's Next? Sixers will now play in the top of the table as well as the cross-city rivalry clash when they play second-placed Thunder at Sydney Showground Stadium on 13th January. The heat will face a re-energized Grenades at the Docklands on 14th.
BBL10 | Heat vs Strikers: Gregory, Wildmeruth hold nerve as Heat clinch thriller
It turned out to be a nail-biting contest between the Sydney Sixers and the Brisbane Heat but in the end, it was the Heat who held their nerves and registered a 4-wicket victory with 7 deliveries to spare. The target which seemed tricky at the start of the run chase turned out to be a rather convincing victory for the Heat courtesy a brilliant match-winning unbeaten partnership of 50 runs in the final phase of the innings. While Lewis Gregory was unbeaten on 31 of 16 deliveries, Jack Wildermuth chipped in with a knock of 22 of just 10 deliveries. Meanwhile batting first, Sydney Sixers posted a competitive 165 on the board in their allotted 20 overs on the back of fine knocks from Joshua Philippe and Jordan Silk. Despite the loss, the Sixers will gain some heart from the fact they won the Bash Boost Point. The target of 166 could have been a stiff one for the Brisbane Heat. They needed a good start but the torrid run of Joe Burns continued as he was dismissed in the third over by Jackson Bird. It was Max Bryant who steadied the ship with Joe Denly with a brief little partnership but it did shift the momentum. Bryant looked in great touch during his knock of 40 of 23 deliveries but his wicket again tilted the scales in favour of the Sydney Sixers. Despite some wickets in the middle, it was Wildermuth and Lewis Gregory who again shifted the momentum in their favour and eventually chased the target down with 7 deliveries left. For his exceptional knock Some useful knocks came from the blades of Sam Heazlett, Jimmy Pierson and Lewis Gregory as the Brisbane Heat kept the required run rate in check and found the boundaries whenever they needed the most. In the end, it was a quick partnership between Gregory and Jack Wildermuth which tilted the scales in favour of the Heat. Earlier in the day, it was Sydney Sixers skipper Daniel Hughes who won the toss and opted to bat. The Sixers went off to a steady start courtesy their opening batters, Joshua Philippe and Jack Edwards. Yet again it was Mujeeb ur Rahman who spun a web around the opposition batters and bagged the wicket of Edwards in his very first delivery. From there on, it was Philippe and James Vince who forged a brief stand of 39 runs but it came in very quick time which turned the momentum in their favour. Philippe struck some exceptional shots en route to his knock of 48 of 36 deliveries which were studded with a couple of fours and sixes each. Wickets fell in a cluster in the middle overs as Mark Steketee was the wrecker in chief who put the Sixers on the backfoot. Jordan Silk looked in ominous touch and struck 5 crisp boundaries during his knock of 43 of 27 deliveries. Despite some wickets falling in a cluster towards the fag end of the innings, Dwarshuis struck a couple of lusty blows which and eventually helped them reach a more than competitive score of 165 on the board. Mark Steketee was the pick of the bowlers for the Brisbane Heat as he finished with figures of 4/33 while Mujeeb chipped in with a couple.
Sixers vs Stars: Captain Daniel Hughes shines as Sixers win last ball thriller
Daniel Hughes probably played the innings of his lifetime, ably supported by luck as Sydney Sixers beat the arch-rivals Melbourne Stars in what was a repeat of last year’s big bash league finals. Hughes, coming in at number four played the captain’s knock as he scored 96 off 51 balls with the help of seven sixes and six boundaries. He nearly took the team, which was chasing a total of 194 and required 20 from the last over, on a somewhat two-paced track, home, before getting out with four runs still required with two balls remaining. Maxwell then darted in a yorker to number 10 Steve O’Keefe, which hit him on the legs and deflected past the wicketkeeper Ben Dunk for a four to the third man boundary. Liam Hatcher and the brilliant 19th over The match was well and truly in the grasp of Melbourne by the end of the 16th over when the Sixers required 52 runs off the last four and a new man in Carlos Brathwaite was in with Hughes having lost the early shine and wasn’t able to connect the shots too well. However, a nine over off Zahir Khan, followed by a 20 run over off Zampa meant that Sixers were within touching distance of getting to the win, with a well and truly set Brathwaittte sizing up an inexperienced Hatcher in the nineteenth over with 23 required from two. However, it was Hatcher who was on top of the game as he pulled out a rabbit from the hat to bowl one of the best 19th overs in the BBL so far under pressure, giving away just three runs and picking two crucial wickets of Brathwaite and Ben Dwarshus. However, that could not be of any good as Nathan Coulter Nile’s injury meant that Maxwell, the skipper took it upon himself to defend 20 off teh last over. Critics will point out that he could have gone for the all-rounder Hilton Cartwright or the more established bowler Zahir Khan who had one over left, but in the end, a decision was made and was backed by Maxwell, although it didn’t go in his favour. Misfields proved too costly for the Stars The stars were not at their usual best as their ground fielding was probably the worst today, missing four boundaries, which could have been easily curtailed to single or a double. Initially, it was Nicholas Pooran, Nick Larkin as a substitute with the mistakes, in the finals, over going for a catch, hatcher conceded a costly boundary as well. In hindsight, it proved a lot problematic for the visitors. The Big Show of Pooran and Maxwell Earlier in the day, Stars had started their innings on a really slow note, losing opener Andre Fletcher in the first over itself. The innings was slow that even after the end of teh 8th over, the Maxwell led side were at 49-4. But it was only after this that the team’s fortunes took a 360-degree turn with the skipper and Pooran combining to give the spectators a splendid sight to witness with the ball flying all across the Carrara Oval in Brisbane. Their 125 run stand in just 58 balls meant that Stars got to a total of 193-5, which never looked possible. Pooran got out at the end of the 18th over having scored 65 off 26 balls with the help of two fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 250. Maxwell, on the other hand, remained not out on 71 of 47 balls, but could only score 10 in the last over, a bit of disappointment after the fireworks ahead of it.