Sydney Sixers finished second after the washout and will take on Hurricanes in the Qualifier. Sydney Thunder will now host the Knockout finals, with the fourth team yet to be decided.
Security guards evacuated fans from two bays in the Bill O’Reilly Stand as a piece of vinyl soffit sheeting began to flap violently in the wind prior to Sydney Sixers’ clash with Sydney Thunder on Friday night. No one was injured when the roofing fell around 6.30pm but the area remained cordoned off, with spectators relocated to another bay.
Wind had been so violent before the game that ball-tracker and ultra-edge were unable to be calibrated.
David Warner (22 not out from 14) made a positive start after Thunder lost the toss and then Test opener Sam Konstas (9 off 13) fell to a stunning Jack Edwards yorker.
The second of two rain delays stopped proceedings for around 90 minutes from 7.55pm and play never resumed, with Thunder finishing at 36 for 1 when the hotly-anticipated grudge match was abandoned. Only 5.1 overs were bowled.
Sixers had to beat Thunder to have any chance of locking up top spot on the ladder to finish the regular season. They will instead finish second after both teams earned one point for the washout.
Sixers will travel to Hobart to face the first-placed Hurricanes in a grand final qualifier on Tuesday.
“It’s a position we’ve been in before where we’ve had to travel away for a qualifier. I think the group’s excited by the opportunity that’s going to present to us down in Hobart,” Sixers batter Jordan Silk said.
Locked into third spot, Thunder will host a knockout finals match on Wednesday night at ENGIE Stadium.
The remaining five teams are all mathematical chances to finish fourth and face Thunder, but the fourth-placed Melbourne Stars are the only side that will not rely on others’ results. If Stars beat Hurricanes on Sunday, they will return to the finals for the first time since 2019-20 on the back of a five-game winning streak.
In 13 previous editions of the BBL, Hurricanes have finished the regular season in first place only once before and are one of only two sides yet to win a title, along with Stars. But if they defeat Sixers on Tuesday, they’ll host the first BBL grand final to be held in Hobart, where they have not lost this season.
Friday’s game was due to be red-hot Steven Smith’s last innings before he and Konstas fly out for Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka this weekend.
Smith saved Warner’s shot to long-off from becoming a six with some gutsy fielding on the boundary, but rain denied him a chance to bat.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo