Sixers opener steers his side to victory to end Brisbane's unbeaten run in BBL|06
Match Report:
ScorecardHughes the hero as the Heat are beaten
The match in a tweet: Hughes the hero as the Heat are humbled at home! Sixers opener steers sensational run chase as Brisbane's unbeaten run comes to an end.
The score: Brisbane Heat 6-186 (Burns 51, Peirson 44, Abbott 3-38) lost to Sydney Sixers (Hughes 85, Haddin 32) by three wickets with two balls to spare
The hero: Selector Mark Waugh labelled Daniel Hughes the most improved batsman in the country tonight and it's easy to see why based on this performance. The left-hander was a new recruit to the Sixers this season and showed plenty of skill and composure to steer his side in a run chase that looked to be a lost cause midway through the innings. The left-hander timed his innings to perfection as wickets fell around him, finishing with 85 from 55 balls, including seven fours and four sixes, to go with his unbeaten 54 in the opening match of the tournament. He couldn't quite finish the job, but he was clearly the match-winner.
The game-changer: Brad Haddin was only at the crease for 13 balls tonight, but his quickfire innings gave the Sixers the momentum they needed after their run chase stalled. The former Test keeper hammered three fours and two sixes to finish with a strike rate of 246 and give his side a chance.
The finish: The Sixers looked set to cruise to victory when they ended the 18th over with a boundary to require just eight runs from two overs with five wickets remaining. But the wicket of Johan Botha to Mitchell Swepson, who conceded just five from the penultimate over, brought Hughes on strike to start the last with three runs required. But his dismissal and then a dot ball lifted the pressure, before Sean Abbott got himself on strike with a risky bye to make it two required off three. And the right-hander needed only one ball, top-edging a six over the wicketkeeper to secure the win.
The consolation effort: In a difficult summer that saw him regain his Test spot only to lose it again, Joe Burns has been handed the tricky task of batting at number five for the Heat this season. Having faced just 24 balls in three games before tonight, including two not outs, Burns took his chance to post an innings of substance, anchoring the innings and finishing with a crucial 51 not out.
The injury concerns: The loss for the Heat was compounded by injury concerns to star players Chris Lynn and Samuel Badree. The Heat say Lynn will travel with the team to Perth tomorrow, but the fact he was forced off the field tonight with a shoulder problem is still a concern given his importance to the side. The right-hander has a history of shoulder injuries and after feeling sore pre-game, he fell heavily when diving in the outfield tonight and left the ground for the remainder of the innings. He was followed off by key spinner Badree, who limped off with what appeared to be a left hamstring injury.
The prediction: Brendon McCullum has been a revelation at the Heat this season - and this moment of commentary from the man himself proves exactly why!
The other opener: While the likes of Brendon McCullum and Chris Lynn have stolen the headlines for the Heat, keeper-batsman Jimmy Peirson tonight notched his second key score of the season. Having opened BBL|06 with 46 against the Strikers, the powerful right-hander added a 30-ball 44 tonight, including one huge six into the top tier of the Gabba.
The biggest bashers: The Heat had hit 31 sixes in three matches before tonight and while their big guns missed out, the home side still launched nine more sixes to punish the Sixers. There aren't many better shows in town than the Heat in full cry at The Gabba.
The catch: As Mark Howard said in commentary, catches like Nic Maddinson's are so common these days they sometimes fail to raise many eyebrows. But this level of athleticism, skill and composure is worth another look.
The wash-up: Having missed a chance to go to the top of the table, the Heat now face the toughest task in the competition - taking on the table-topping Scorchers in Perth. The Sixers move up to third spot with the win, level with the Scorchers and Heat on three wins, ahead of their match against the Renegades on Monday.
Image Id: /~/media/8A3DEB6FC3904449A52EF626309D7813.@HeatBBL: McCullum, Peirson, Lynn, Ross, Burns, Cutting, Wildermuth, Steketee, Buchanan, Swepson, Badree #BBL06
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 3, 2017
.@SixersBBL: Hughes, Roy, Maddinson, Henriques, Haddin, Billings, Botha, Abbott, Dwarshuis, Somerville, Thornton #BBL06
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 3, 2017