Sydney Thunder 202/5 (20/20 ov)
Sydney Sixers 156 (17.3/20 ov)
Sydney Thunder won by 46 runs
Needing a win to stay in contention for their first Big Bash League semi-finals, Sydney Thunder turned in style in front of a record crowd to sink Sydney Sixers. Thunder had lost their previous four games, missed their preferred opening partnership, but produced a clinical performance with the bat to post the season's highest score. Quick contributions from Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, and Andre Russell powered Thunder to 202, setting up a comfortable victory. The bowlers then took all ten wickets to cap off an impressive all-round performance.
They are now safe, so long as one of the Melbourne teams lose their final games, or else Thunder enter the murky world of net run-rate. Either way, in keeping their side of the qualification bargain, Thunder pulled the plug on Sixers' season.
It was not all plain sailing for Thunder, though. To remain in contention for finals themselves, Sixers had to win inside 16 overs. And when Nic Maddinson was joined by Brad Haddin in Sixers' pursuit of 203, Hussey, playing his final game in Sydney, looked anxious, and with good reason. Thirty of Maddinson's first fifty runs came in sixes, and he was swinging with such power that the back of his bat simply flew off as he tried to drill offspinner Chris Green down the ground.
Green proved an unlikely staller for the Thunder. Brought into the attack with Sixers on the charge, he had Haddin caught sweeping second ball and he conceded just five runs in his first two overs. Maddinson's blitz ended when he was caught brilliantly by the diving Henry Nicholls at long-on off legspinner Fawad Ahmed the following over.
With the bat, Thunder could have done little more. Watson, promoted to open in the absence of Usman Khawaja and Jacques Kallis, veritably ghosted to 66 off 41 balls. Hussey anchored the innings, while Russell was in brutal form, fearlessly clearing his front leg and throwing his hands to launch four sixes in the death to propel Thunder.
Despite a torrid start to the tournament, Watson has been in fine form in 2016 to reassert his World T20 claims. This innings was marked by his staples: hard-hit pulls, booming front-foot drives, attractive cuts, and slog-sweeps to the spinners, but there were three stunning sixes too. Either side of sending Doug Bollinger sailing down the ground, he went after Nathan Lyon, nailing him over cow corner, then long-on. Aiden Blizzard, who joined Watson at the top, pulled a Johan Botha half-tracker for a six, but fell to the first ball of the seventh over, Sean Abott's first.
Watson built for six more overs with Hussey, before failing to connect with another drill down the ground and finding long-on. Hussey was smart as ever, pulling boundaries behind square and running with the speed of a man half his age. It was a surprise to see Nicholls come in at No.4 before Russell, but the New Zealand international did not last long, miscuing Lyon to backward point.
Russell then set to work immediately, with a violently-pulled six followed by a magnificent, orthodox over-driven four off Ben Dwarshius. Jackson Bird was then belted for a six, before Russell got stuck into Bollinger with a six over cow corner, drive through cover, and a pull despite taking his eyes off the shot, all coming in the same over. It took a moment of genius to eventually dismiss Russell as Botha tossed up catch on the fence to his alert team-mate Jordan Silk. A cameo from Ben Rohrer then took Thunder past 200, where they looked safe.
After Michael Lumb fell early, Sixers' chase was all about Maddinson. He was in sublime touch and looked set to pull off a heist, even if not quite quickly enough. He struck Russell for successive leg-side sixes, then gave Fawad the same treatment down the ground. Watson was next to be sent for a six and a four, before the debutant Nathan McAndrew was bullied.
Green, however, arrived and slows things up, while Fawad attacked the new batsmen. Slowly but surely, Sixers' dominoes fell, and Thunder completed the job.
Melbourne Stars 146/9 (20/20 ov)
Perth Scorchers 94 (19/20 ov)
Melbourne Stars won by 52 runs
For much of their stuttering innings, Melbourne Stars' prospects of a finals berth looked in serious peril. But a 52-run come-from-behind victory over defending champions Perth Scorchers at the WACA has ensured they are a legitimate chance of winning their first ever BBL title.
A scintillating bowling performance - they bowled Scorchers out for 94 in the 19th over - guaranteed Stars second place on the BBL ladder, which means the two teams will likely go at it again next Friday at the MCG in the second semi-final.
Chasing 147 for victory, and at least 109 to play the knockouts at the WACA ground, Scorchers collapsed under sustained and disciplined bowling. Only captain Adam Voges, who remained unbeaten on 46, managed to avoid a trend of reckless and baffling strokes that became instant wickets. Stars' new-ball bowlers Daniel Worrall and Ben Hilfenhaus produced seven fine overs, which fetched six wickets and conceded only 32 runs.
Openers Michael Klinger (0) and David Willey (2) succumbed to Worrall's menace, leaving Scorchers at 2 for 9 in the third over. The WACA crowd of 20,870 - a record in the Big Bash - were petrified and when Ben Hilfenhaus dismissed Michael Carberry and Ashton Agar in the sixth over, the match's result was effectively decided.
Scorchers had spiralled to 4 for 26 and essentially re-adjusted their focus to chasing down the 109 runs needed to host a semi-final. But regular wickets, and an inability from anyone to support Voges, meant Scorchers fell short of that too.
It was the type of result that looked unlikely earlier in the day. After being sent in to bat, Stars could mount very little momentum and were three down before the Powerplay was done. None of their top four managed a score more than 14, but captain David Hussey struck 36 off 25 balls and the lower order took his example to heart. An enterprising 27-run ninth wicket partnership between Worrall and Evan Gulbis took the total to 9 for 146.
Both sides had lost players to the Australian ODI team, but Scorchers were worse off with their pace spearhead Jason Behrendorff's back injury. A key to Scorchers' unparalleled BBL success over the years has been their depth and knack of fringe players stepping up when given an opportunity. This trait was further exemplified tonight with Matt Dixon shining in his first BBL game of the tournament.
With Behrendorff out and Joel Paris on national duty, Dixon made the most of his chance with hostile bouncers that rattled Stars' top order. In notable contrast from the WACA's staid pitch just four days earlier for the India ODI, Scorchers' quicks got the ball to rear up sharply to make life difficult for Stars' batsmen.
Dixon picked up Luke Wright (14) and Peter Handscomb (9) with short deliveries and also had Kevin Pietersen (8) caught behind off a fuller one, although the former England batsman was nonplussed with the decision. Dixon finished with 3 for 32 off four overs. Stars were 4 for 55 in eight overs.
Hussey and Rob Quiney took over rebuilding duties with a hard-hitting 40-run partnership, and the visitors began hoping for a competitive score on a fast and bouncy WACA pitch. But David Willey broke through and Quiney was well caught at point by Ashton Turner. Hussey looked most likely to steer Stars to respectability but he was felled in the 14th over, coolly caught on the long-off boundary by Ashton Agar off Brad Hogg.
Seamer Andrew Tye finished things off with his remarkable accuracy and various slower balls. He finished with 2 for 25 from four overs and likely put himself into Australia's World T20 calculations.
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