After attending his brother’s nuptials, David Warner was transported to the SCG via helicopter. During the pursuit, he batted until the seventeenth over and was the last hope for Sydney Thunder in their must-win match against Sydney Sixers. In contrast, Thunder’s pursuit of 152 runs was unsuccessful due to Warner’s 37 off 39 balls, as the team was bundled out for 132, putting an end to any further BBL advancements. In the interim, the Sixers advanced to the second position on the points table and secured a berth in the postseason with a 19-run triumph.
Warner and Alex Hales capitalized on the fielding restrictions by commencing the pursuit with a barrage of boundaries. In the first four overs, Warner and Hales each hit five fours and two sixes, contributing to a total of 44 runs; Sean Abbott was dismissed for 25 in the first two overs. The game’s tempo was altered with the introduction of Steve O’Keefe, who took two wickets in his opening over, dismissing Hales and Cameron Bancroft. The Sixers sneaked in some calm overs, and in an attempt to increase the pressure, Tom Kohler-Cadmore was dismissed in favor of Hayden Kerr, leaving the Thunder in perilous position at 64/3 at the midpoint.
Warner achieved his initial four-run score in the twelfth over, a pressure-relieving boundary achieved via a crossover strike off Todd Murphy. However, Oliver Davies struggled to gain momentum at the other end, and despite hitting two fours off Abbott, he was ultimately dispatched for 15 off 18 balls by the same bowler. Following the rapid dismissals of Daniel Sams and Chris Green, the Thunder found themselves in a precarious situation at 90/6, as their only remaining hope was Warner. However, the game was essentially decided when the left-hander delivered a catch to deep midwicket, thus becoming O’Keefe’s third victim. They conceded and fell far short of the required 39 runs off the final two overs, suffering their sixth loss in eight games and eliminating themselves from playoff contention.
Earlier, following their decision to bowl, the Thunder restricted the Sixers’ batsmen with a disciplined bowling performance. Steve Smith was dismissed with a golden duck after Daniel Sams pulled him off the wicket. James Vince and Josh Philippe contributed 59 runs for the second wicket with their solid batting, which included frequent boundaries. However, a pair of fast wickets fell for the Sixers, impeding their progress. Toby Gray bowled Vince, and Moises Henriques, who scored two fours, was dismissed by Nathan McAndrew.
Philippe and Jordan Silk attempted to establish a partnership, but it was unsuccessful in the 1930s when Silk, who was three runs short of a fifty, mishit a short ball from Tanveer Sangha and returned it to cover. Jack Edwards bowled irresponsibly for McAndrew’s second wicket, which reduced the Sixers to 113/5 after sixteen overs. Despite amassing a valuable 35 runs, Silk was discharged in the eighteenth over. Ben Dwarshuis hit a six in the final over bowled by Sams, bringing the Sixers to a satisfactory 150 runs.
Brief scores:
Sydney Sixers 151/7 in 20 overs (Josh Philippe 47, Jordan Silk 35; Nathan McAndrew 2-17) beat Sydney Thunder 132 in 19.5 overs (David Warner 37; Steve O’Keefe 3-13, Hayden Kerr 2-25) by 19 runs.
