Joss Buttler shuffles across the stumps and plays a scoop © Getty Images
Sydney Thunder 9 for 169 (Buttler 63, Curran 3-24) beat Sydney Sixers 9 for 148 (Curran 62, Sams 3-30, Fawad 3-33) by 21 runs
England fast bowler Tom Curran took 3 for 24 and smacked his highest T20 score against cross-city rivals Sydney Thunder, but his Sydney Sixers team failed to cross the line, losing by 21 runs at the Spotless Stadium on Christmas eve.
Curran’s 40-ball 62 gave Sixers some hope, after they were reduced to 6 for 56 following legspinner Fawad Ahmed‘s three-wicket haul, but his dismissal in the 19th over ended any chance of a Sixers win.
Thunder’s first-innings score was set up by Jos Buttler‘s 37-ball 63 after they were asked to bat, and were destined for a score close to 200 at one stage, but a flurry of late wickets off Curran and left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe kept their total down to an achievable 169. A solid bowling effort, however – barring the time when Curran and Sean Abbott added 88 for the seventh wicket – helped Thunder win the game comprehensively. Fawad was assisted by Daniel Sams‘ medium-pace, which fetched him three lower-order wickets as well.
Buttler finds his groove early
After being asked to bat, Thunder lost opener Shane Watson for a sluggish 19, and with No. 3 Callum Ferguson taking his time to find the bat’s middle, it was down to Buttler to keep the scoreboard ticking in the Powerplay. He hoicked Sean Abbott, in particular, cross-batted over midwicket a few times and hit young legspinner Lloyd Pope out of the attack. His blitz ensured Thunder were past 50 in the Powerplay and had crossed triple digits by the time he fell for 63 in the 12th over. At that stage, Thunder were on course for a score close to 200.
Play it again, Sams
Thunder, however, lost their way after Buttler’s dismissal. A mix-up sent Ferguson back for a 24-ball 23, and Joe Root was clean bowled by an O’Keefe wrong’un that slipped through his defense. Jason Sangha and Chris Green fell to Curran in a bid to accelerate, and from 4 for 147, Thunder had lost three wickets for no run.
But in the midst of Thunder’s batting crisis, Sams – who smashed a half-century in their previous game as well – struck three fours and two sixes to smack a cameo of 28 in just 11 balls to hold up one end. He used the pace of the Sixers bowlers to particularly good effect, but fell trying to deflect another quick from Ben Dwarshuis past the keeper Josh Phillipe’s right. His innings, however, ensured Thunder set their rivals a target of 170.
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Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo