Philippe crowned BBL|10 Player of the Tournament

Powerful Sydney Sixers opener Josh Philippe has been crowned the KFC BBL|10 Player of the Tournament after another eye-catching campaign.

Philippe was a narrow winner of the competition's top individual award after he polled 22 votes to edge out Alex Hales of the Sydney Thunder by two votes, with Perth Scorchers quick Jhye Richardson third with 19 votes.

Votes are awarded throughout the season by the on-field umpires.

The fearless wicketkeeper-batter, who was named Player of the Final last summer in the Sixers' BBL|09 title win, has been rewarded with selection in Australia's T20I squad for its five-match series against New Zealand starting next month, putting him in line to make his international debut. 

Philippe could put himself in contention for Australia's World Cup squad with a strong showing against their trans-Tasman rivals and says he is capable of batting anywhere in the order. 

He was also given the nod of approval from opposition coaches when he was picked in the official BBL Team of the Tournament last week. 

The right-hander could finish BBL|10 as the tournament's leading run-scorer and currently sits 44 runs behind Hales ahead of Saturday's final. 

Philippe has already accumulated 499 runs at an average of 33.26 at an impressive strike rate of 150.30 – the third best behind Hales and Brisbane Heat skipper Chris Lynn among the BBL's top-20 most prolific batsmen. 

The gifted 23-year-old blasted a career-best 95 from just 57 balls against the Melbourne Renegades in December. 

Last month, he produced hands of 64 and 84 in consecutive matches against the Thunder and Scorchers respectively. 

Philippe hit 45 in Saturday's Qualifier final against the Scorchers to help the Sixers earn a direct passage through to this weekend's final. 

The defending champions will face either the Scorchers or the Heat in the final at the SCG, with their opponent to be decided tonight in the Qualifier final at Manuka Oval. 

Cricket Australia's Head of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, said: "This is a richly deserved accolade and recognition for a number of match-winning performances, which have guided the Sixers to a second consecutive home Final at the SCG and selection in the Australian Men's T20I squad.

"Our congratulations also go out to Alex Hales and Jhye Richardson on their performances this year which have seen them sitting atop the BKT Golden Bat and Arm leaderboards heading into the final two matches of the campaign." 

Perth-born Philippe's decision to join the Sixers ahead of BBL|08 has paid handsome dividends. 

He produced an impressive debut season for the Sixers, punching out 304 runs at 30.40 (strike rate 158.33) before hitting 487 runs at 37.46 (strike rate 129.86) in BBL|09. 

As always, the hard-hitting batter will be key to the outcome of Saturday's BBL final.

KFC BBL|10 PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT

Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) – 22 votes

Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder) – 20 votes

Jhye Richardson (Perth Scorchers) – 19 votes

Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars) – 18 votes

Ben McDermott (Hobart Hurricanes) – 17 votes

Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat) – 17 votes

Colin Munro (Perth Scorchers) – 17 votes

D'Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) – 16 votes

Shaun Marsh (Melbourne Renegades) – 15 votes

Jake Weatherald (Adelaide Strikers) – 15 votes 

BBL|10 Finals Series
(all matches will screen on Channel 7, Fox Cricket & Kayo)

The Eliminator: Brisbane Heat (4) beat Adelaide Strikers (5) by six wickets

The Qualifier: Sydney Sixers (1) beat Perth Scorchers (2) by nine wickets

The Knock-Out: Brisbane Heat (4) beat Sydney Thunder (3) by seven wickets

The Challenger: Perth Scorchers (2) v Brisbane Heat (4). Thurs Feb 4, Manuka Oval, 7:40pm AEDT

The Final: Sydney Sixers v Winner of The Challenger. Sat Feb 6, SCG, 7.40pm AEDT