Sydney Sixers stalwarts Sean Abbott, Moises Henriques and Jordan Silk have starred as their aspect moved to the highest of the BBL ladder with a seven-wicket win over Sydney Thunder.
Paceman Abbott spearheaded a robust Sixers bowling effort on Sunday as they restricted Thunder to 8-133 of their Sydney Smash derby at Sydney Showground Stadium.
Sixers slumped to 3-25 after 4 overs, however middle-order linchpins Silk and Henriques took management with an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 109 off 75 balls.
Silk (59 off 42) and Henriques (53 off 38) displayed their expertise, working the ball into gaps for singles and hitting the occasional boundary when the Thunder bowlers erred.
It was Silk’s first BBL 50 of the season and Henriques’ largest rating on this season’s marketing campaign.
The win, achieved with. 3.4 overs left, lifted the Sixers above the Scorchers to first, although Perth have two video games in hand.
Thunder, who misplaced for the primary time in 5 video games, dropped to fourth on web run-rate under Melbourne Renegades.
Abbott revealed there had been some on-field niggle between the 2 Sydney groups, with the Sixers not glad they did not begin the final over of the Thunder innings in time and needed to have one much less fielder exterior the circle.
“Maybe some of their boys trying to make sure our innings runs a bit late,” Abbott instructed Fox Cricket.
Both innings began in comparable style in entrance of virtually 21,000 spectators.
Thunder crashed to 3-12 with three lbw choices inside the primary three overs, as Alex Hales fell for a golden duck.
A fourth-wicket stand of 64 between Alex Ross (34 off 34) and Sam Whiteman (42 off 34) in his first BBL sport of the season, revived the Thunder innings.
The Sixers regained the initiative by taking 3-17 however some lusty late innings hitting from Ben Cutting (26 not out from 15 balls) boosted Thunder’s whole.
Abbott (3-9 off 4 overs) bowled 17 dot balls and boosted his haul for the season to 16, joint-second highest together with the Scorchers AJ Tye and the Strikers’ Henry Thornton.
“There was a bit of a green tinge on the wicket,” Abbott mentioned.
“When your captain gives you the hard ball you’ve got to go out there and there’s no more incentive to go out there and perform well and give your all and set the tone, so that was nice tonight.”
Thunder wanted fast wickets and, just like the Sixers, struck 3 times In the ability play, with captain and spinner Chris Green (2-29 off 4) and pacemen Brendan Doggett (1-23 off 4) doing the injury.
Silk and Henriques managed the sport from that time.
“These blokes turn zeros into ones, and twos into threes and seem to find every gap in those pockets that are quite large here,” Abbott mentioned of Silk and Henriques.
English internationals Hales, Vince and Sixers paceman Chris Jordan have been all taking part in their ultimate sport of this season’s BBL.
The Sixers will regain Test stars Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon, whereas Thunder get again David Warner.
Both Sydney groups play their subsequent sport at residence to the Scorchers, the Thunder on January 13 and the Sixers two days later.
