A one-sided affair in the Sydney Smash, with the men in magenta continuing their dominance in the derby and claiming their first win of the season and keeping the Thunder winless this season.
Tomorrow, it is Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes clashing in Geelong.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Dev Rajawat and scorer Ashok Dayma. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!
BEST BOWLING FIGURES FOR A SYDNEY SIXERS' BOWLER IN BBL:
5/16 - Sean Abbott vs Adelaide Strikers, Adelaide, 2016
5/21 - Ben Dwarshuis vs Brisbane Heat, Carrara, 2024
5/23 - Nathan Lyon vs Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney, 2015
5/26 - Ben Dwarshuis vs Melbourne Renegades, Geelong, 2022
5/26 - Jack Edwards vs Sydney Thunder, Engie Stadium, 2025, Tonight*
Josh Philippe (Player of the Match): "Firstly, it felt really good to be out there. I probably haven’t had my best couple of seasons over the last few years, so to spend some time in the middle and take the game deep was really pleasing personally.
Leading the run charts early on is exciting, although we’ve played an extra game, so I’m not sure how long that will last. Still, it’s nice to contribute and help the team get off to a strong start.
Batting with Babar was outstanding. He’s incredibly calm out there and kept me on track. There was a phase where I wanted to go really hard early, but we spoke about taking the game deep, and his experience really helped in managing that situation. That’s what he brings - experience and clarity. He knows how to guide you through different phases of the innings and just keeps things simple, which makes a huge difference out in the middle.
Getting out so close to a hundred was a bit frustrating. From where I was, it looked like it bounced, but one of the replays showed it went straight in. I was always going to push for the extra runs, and hopefully, the hundred isn’t too far away.
As a team, after a slightly shaky start, that was a really dominant performance. To respond like that, especially in a Sydney Smash where games are always tight, is something we’re really proud of."
Player of the Match: Josh Philippe
5:09 PM IST, 10:39 PM Local Time: The Sixers continue to dominate the Sydney Smash!!! They have bounced back in style after two losses to win their first game of the tournament, defeating the Thunder comprehensively by 47 runs! The hosts have now suffered successive defeats and are the only team yet to taste a win this season.
Earlier in the evening, David Warner, coming back into the XI, won the bat flip and opted to bowl first. Daniel Hughes got off to a blazing start, but his innings was cut short to 25 off 15 balls. Babar Azam, who was desperate to score some runs in the BBL, anchored the innings with a classy 58 off 42 balls. Josh Philippe was the aggressor as the keeper-batter showcased his stroke play to the highest order, hitting 96 off 57 balls.
The two right-handers added 140 runs for the second wicket and set a solid foundation, but there were no significant contributions from the middle order. They lost a few wickets towards the end, including that of Philippe, who missed out on a well-deserved maiden BBL ton.
Reece Topley bowled well for the Thunder and finished with 3/41. Nathan McAndrew picked up two wickets, but was expensive during the Power Surge. Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Shadab Khan and Chris Green failed to contain the Babar-Philippe duo in the middle overs.
Matthew Gilkes hit three boundaries in a row in the first over of the run chase, before Todd Murphy had the last laugh. Jack Edwards was introduced in the third over and further dented the hosts by removing Sam Konstas and David Warner in the same over. Cameron Bancroft struggled to get going as the Thunder were reduced to 45/4 at one stage.
Sam Billings fought back with a sizzling half-century, scoring 51 off just 28 balls and was decently supported by Shadab Khan, who started slowly but tried to pick up the scoring rate and hit 41 off 31 balls.
Barring these two, there were no batters who managed to weather the storm and occupy the crease for the Thunder as they were eventually bundled out for 151 in the 20th over.
Jack Edwards was extra special with the ball, snapping his first BBL fifer and finishing with 5/26. Joel Davies was clever with his pace variation and finished with an impressive 3/24. Murphy and Kane Richardson took a wicket each; the former started the decimation, while the latter finished the contest.
W WICKET!!!! Hit straight to deep mid wicket!!! Jordan Silk is the man you need to get under this one and he is there in the deep to take a stunner!!!! Sydney Thunder have been bundled out for 151!!! The Sixers win the Sydney Smash by 47 runs, bouncing back from two defeats to claim their first win of the season!!!! Over the wicket. Slower, back of a length delivery on the middle and leg. 109.6 kph. Topley backs away and pulls it flat and hard to deep mid wicket. Silk is standing way inside the fence, but rushes back a few steps before taking a two-handed grab as smooth as silk.
8 off the penultimate over. Kane Richardson to bowl the last over. The Sixers have been penalised for the slow overrate. One extra fielder comes inside the 30-yard ring. Richardson has to reload as there is some confusion regarding the field setting.