English import James Vince has fallen short of a century but delivered the goods at the top of the order to steer the Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket win over the struggling Melbourne Stars.
Marcus Stoinis blasted 52 off 28 balls to lift the Stars to a competitive 5-173 after being sent in at the MCG on Friday night.
But the Sixers surpassed that total with one ball to spare on the back of Vince’s unbeaten 91 from 59 deliveries and some late hitting from Jordan Silk.
Silk belted a six from the third ball of Luke Wood’s dramatic final over and was then controversially given out caught behind before Dan Christian hit the winning runs.
The result was the Sixers’ ninth consecutive win over the Stars – a record BBL period of dominance by one club over another.
It leaves the Stars (2-6) languishing in last place, while the Sixers (5-3) are level on wins at the top with the Scorchers and Thunder.
The Sixers required 36 off the final three overs when Vince belted back-to-back sixes off departing New Zealand international Trent Boult (1-39).
A further 11 runs were required off the last over and Vince should have been run out looking for two off the first ball, but Stars wicketkeeper Joe Clarke missed his first swipe at the stumps with the batter short of his ground.
The massive six from Silk (15 off 10) tilted the match the Sixers’ way but he was judged to have nicked Wood’s next ball behind and was given his marching orders.
Christian hit his only ball faced off Wood (1-41) for four, steering the Sixers to 4-176.
Vince’s season-high innings included nine fours and two sixes as he narrowly missed out on becoming the first player in Sixers history to score a BBL century.
“As a batting group we spoke about how having someone in the top three or four there towards the back end (of the innings) always makes it easier to win games,” Vince said.
“Turning some of the 30s and 40s into 70s and 80s can make a big difference, so I was pleased to be there at the end.
“The guys that batted around me took the pressure off nicely because it was the sort of wicket where you felt ‘in’ but it was gripping a little bit. It wasn’t easy.”
Stoinis showcased his value as one of the BBL’s great entertainers in his first match since announcing a deal to play in the rival UAE T20 competition.
The Stars’ premier power hitter blasted seven fours and two sixes, playing the lead role as the Stars took 34 runs off Chris Jordan and Hayden Kerr during the power surge.
“I thought the score was pretty good and we batted well, but it’s only really small margins and there’s just little things that could go either way,” Stoinis said.
“We thought we were going to win the whole time, up until probably two or three balls left.”
Sixers quick Sean Abbott (3-31) was the game’s only multiple wicket-taker.
The Stars’ Campbell Kellaway lost a fingernail while taking a catch to dismiss Daniel Hughes (28) and was substituted out of the match.
Ahmed in, Marsh out for BBL’s Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades have signed Fawad Ahmed as a temporary replacement for injured BBL veteran Shaun Marsh.
Marsh, who missed the start of the season with a calf strain, suffered a low-grade hamstring injury during Tuesday’s derby win over the Stars.
The 39-year-old hopes to return late in the campaign, with the fifth-placed Renegades (4-4) firmly in the finals mix.
Ahmed has played 95 BBL matches with four different clubs and returns to the Renegades, where he made his debut during the T20 competition’s second season.
The 40-year-old has signed at an important time, with fellow spinners Akeal Hosein and Mujeeb Ur Rahman set to depart the Renegades after Saturday’s clash with the Hobart Hurricanes.
“Fawad is a proven performer around the world,” Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.
“With our overseas spinners departing after this match we’re pleased to sign a player of his calibre to complement our current bowlers.”
Marcus Harris has been released from the Australian Test squad and has been named in the Renegades’ squad to face the Hurricanes at Marvel Stadium.
Peter Handscomb has replaced Harris in Sydney, on stand-by in case Australia need a substitute fielder.
Like Marsh, Perth Scorchers paceman Jhye Richardson also faces a race against time to return from a hamstring injury for the BBL finals.
Scans on Thursday confirmed Richardson has a minor strain and the Scorchers will take a cautious approach, given his injury issues in recent seasons.
“I think you need to be, certainly with someone of Jhye’s calibre,” Scorchers coach Adam Voges said.
“But we’ve got a world-class medical staff here and I’ll trust them to put the work in with Jhye over the next two weeks.
“Hopefully we’ll see him back and we’ll get him back on the park as soon as possible.”
Lance Morris is a chance to play in the Scorchers’ clash with the Brisbane Heat at Perth Stadium on Saturday after being released from the Australian Test squad.
The Scorchers will weigh up how Morris recovers from the flight to Perth from Sydney before selecting their final team.
Southee rues the NZ Test win that got away
Tim Southee has been left reflecting with some frustration on his New Zealand side missing out on a famous Test win and series victory in Pakistan, after ending up just “one ball away” in a drawn second contest in Karachi.
The Black Caps were involved in a thrilling finish on Friday, with all four results still possible before the light worsened to spoil a wonderful denouement.
But New Zealand, in their first tour to Pakistan for 19 years, probably felt most frustrated as they had the hosts nine wickets down and still needing another 15 for victory at 9-304 when play was halted.
“We got ourselves in, probably, positions to win both Tests,” Southee told reporters, also reflecting on last week’s first match which had also ended in a draw after a generous declaration from Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
“It was pretty tough going but the guys toiled away and we were one ball away from a series victory. So, yeah, disappointing to walk away (with a draw) and I’m sure Pakistan are the same.
“You toil away for 10 days, you walk away and it’s a drawn series. A lot of good cricket was played in and amongst those 10 days.”
Southee, who had himself made a challenging declaration on the penultimate evening, saw his side bowl 90 overs before the game was abandoned and had no regrets about the timing of his call.
“It was a bit of a balancing act to try and get the right amount of overs left and the right amount of runs,” he said.
“And I guess to get a little dip at them [for 2.5 overs] last night and get them two (wickets) down was a great start.
“I guess you always look back and there’s ways you could improve and you could get better. But that was a decision we made at the time.
“The batters felt it wasn’t easy to just go out and hit the ball, so it was one of those decisions you had to weigh up.”
At one point on Friday, New Zealand had Pakistan flailing at 5-80 but Sarfaraz Ahmed then gave the hosts real hope with a counter-attacking hundred that briefly made them favourites with 52 still needed and four wickets standing.
“Don’t know if I rate draws,” said new skipper Southee with a rueful smile, when asked about being part of such a dramatic finale.
“But it was an exciting finish. I hope that the people watching enjoyed the end there.
“It would’ve been better to win but I guess for the people that were watching, I hope it was exciting.”
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