Sixers maintain perfect Sydney Smash record

Sydney Sixers have continued their unbeaten start to BBL|04 with a 16-run victory over crosstown rivals Sydney Thunder in front of a record crowd at Stadium Australia to maintain their unblemished record in the Sydney Smash.

Riki Wessels' rapid half-century helped set up the contest for the visitors, who posted 7-180 from their 20 overs and defended that total expertly, despite veteran quick Brett Lee bowling no fewer than five wides from the opening over of his side's innings and a late scare from Aiden Blizzard, who made a superb if ultimately futile 80 from just 42 balls.

Thunder skipper Mike Hussey won the toss and elected to bowl first, but it was the Sixers who began more brightly, Nic Maddinson (12 off 10) clearing the rope and Michael Lumb finding it as the opening pair charged out of the blocks to be 0-23 off two overs.

The Thunder did themselves no favours with some sloppy cricket in the opening exchanges but the introduction of Dirk Nannes (2-32) in the fourth over did the trick, as the veteran left-armer coaxed a pull shot out of Maddinson, who skied to Pat Cummins at fine leg.

Lumb went a short while later after looking the part throughout his innings, the Englishman being deceived by a Nannes slower, shorter delivery and lobbing to square leg to depart for 27 from 20 balls.

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques briefly loomed as a danger man for the Thunder, but after surviving a life when he was dropped at long on by Andrew McDonald, the red-headed allrounder made no mistake second time around when Henriques presented the same opportunity again off the bowling of Nathan Hauritz.

Wessels was then Hauritz's second victim after he'd made the biggest impact on the Sixers innings, flaying at a wider, fuller delivery and finding Gurinder Sandhu at long off.

The son of former Test batsman Kepler Wessels, and a late signing for the Sixers, proved his worth emphatically, blasting five fours and two sixers as he set the Sixers up for a huge total.

Wessels' dismissal proved the key moment in the back-end of the Sixers innings, with the men in magenta losing 3-12 as Pat Cummins (1-23) and Gurinder Sandhu (2-28) bowled superbly to restrict the flow of runs and keep their opponents to 7-180 from their 20 overs.

And when Mitchell Starc removed Jacques Kallis for three with a stunning inswinging yorker, that total looked all the more daunting.

Hussey (17) went a short while later in pursuit of quick runs, and his dismissal became the theme as the required run rate piled on the pressure for the men in green.

Sean Abbott (2-28) chimed in with the wickets of Andrew McDonald (18) and Eoin Morgan (6) to leave the home side all but out of the contest, before Blizzard - who demonstrated his hitting power for Hobart Hurricanes in the Champions League in September - launched a stunning assault on the Sixers bowlers.

The pint-sized left-hander thrashed six fours and four sixes to earn the man-of-the-match award and keep his side in the hunt until the dying overs, but the total proved too distant for he and partner Daniel Hughes (29 off 23), who was run-out from the final delivery of the match to give the Sixers six wins from as many attempts in the Sydney derby.

"We were pretty happy to take the game as deep as we did but it's very disappointing as a team to lose by 16 runs," Blizzard said.

"I was pretty confident that we were going to win as we went through the game.

"Personally it was great to get some runs, but very disappointing for the team, so it's a little bit of an up and a down at the same moment."

Blizzard said the Thunder remained committed to changing the team culture following their sixth straight loss to the Sixers.

"There's definitely some serious positives to take out of this game and we're really trying to build a new culture here, so the only way is up.

"I didn't know that (about losing six straight) but it's obviously disappointing.

"I think we play them again at the end of the tournament, but we'll try to get a roll on and end up on the winners podium.

"It's a bit of a hoodoo to break, I guess."