Sydney Thunder 5 for 202 (Watson 66, Russell 46, Hussey 41, Abbott 2-41) beat Sydney Sixers 156 (Maddinson 70, McKay 3-16, Green 3-27, Fawad 3-39) by 46 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Andre Russell whacked 46 off 20 balls © Getty Images
Needing a win to stay in contention for their first Big Bash League semi-finals, Sydney Thunder turned in style in front of a record crowd to sink Sydney Sixers. Thunder had lost their previous four games, missed their preferred opening partnership, but produced a clinical performance with the bat to post the season’s highest score. Quick contributions from Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, and Andre Russell powered Thunder to 202, setting up a comfortable victory. The bowlers then took all ten wickets to cap off an impressive all-round performance.
They are now safe, so long as one of the Melbourne teams lose their final games, or else Thunder enter the murky world of net run-rate. Either way, in keeping their side of the qualification bargain, Thunder pulled the plug on Sixers’ season.
It was not all plain sailing for Thunder, though. To remain in contention for finals themselves, Sixers had to win inside 16 overs. And when Nic Maddinson was joined by Brad Haddin in Sixers’ pursuit of 203, Hussey, playing his final game in Sydney, looked anxious, and with good reason. Thirty of Maddinson’s first fifty runs came in sixes, and he was swinging with such power that the back of his bat simply flew off as he tried to drill offspinner Chris Green down the ground.
Green proved an unlikely staller for the Thunder. Brought into the attack with Sixers on the charge, he had Haddin caught sweeping second ball and he conceded just five runs in his first two overs. Maddinson’s blitz ended when he was caught brilliantly by the diving Henry Nicholls at long-on off legspinner Fawad Ahmed the following over.
With the bat, Thunder could have done little more. Watson, promoted to open in the absence of Usman Khawaja and Jacques Kallis, veritably ghosted to 66 off 41 balls. Hussey anchored the innings, while Russell was in brutal form, fearlessly clearing his front leg and throwing his hands to launch four sixes in the death to propel Thunder.
Despite a torrid start to the tournament, Watson has been in fine form in 2016 to reassert his World T20 claims. This innings was marked by his staples: hard-hit pulls, booming front-foot drives, attractive cuts, and slog-sweeps to the spinners, but there were three stunning sixes too. Either side of sending Doug Bollinger sailing down the ground, he went after Nathan Lyon, nailing him over cow corner, then long-on. Aiden Blizzard, who joined Watson at the top, pulled a Johan Botha half-tracker for a six, but fell to the first ball of the seventh over, Sean Abott’s first.
Watson built for six more overs with Hussey, before failing to connect with another drill down the ground and finding long-on. Hussey was smart as ever, pulling boundaries behind square and running with the speed of a man half his age. It was a surprise to see Nicholls come in at No.4 before Russell, but the New Zealand international did not last long, miscuing Lyon to backward point.
Russell then set to work immediately, with a violently-pulled six followed by a magnificent, orthodox over-driven four off Ben Dwarshius. Jackson Bird was then belted for a six, before Russell got stuck into Bollinger with a six over cow corner, drive through cover, and a pull despite taking his eyes off the shot, all coming in the same over. It took a moment of genius to eventually dismiss Russell as Botha tossed up catch on the fence to his alert team-mate Jordan Silk. A cameo from Ben Rohrer then took Thunder past 200, where they looked safe.
After Michael Lumb fell early, Sixers’ chase was all about Maddinson. He was in sublime touch and looked set to pull off a heist, even if not quite quickly enough. He struck Russell for successive leg-side sixes, then gave Fawad the same treatment down the ground. Watson was next to be sent for a six and a four, before the debutant Nathan McAndrew was bullied.
Green, however, arrived and slows things up, while Fawad attacked the new batsmen. Slowly but surely, Sixers’ dominoes fell, and Thunder completed the job.
Will Macpherson writes on cricket for the Guardian, ESPNcricinfo and All Out Cricket. @willis_macp
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo