Handscomb puts Sixers to the sword

The match in a tweet: Handscomb sparkles with fine half-century to lead Stars to much-needed win over Sixers #BBL|08 

The score: Sydney Sixers 9-130 (Silk 41no; Coleman 3-18, Lamichhane 2-18, Bravo 2-28) lost to Melbourne Stars 5-132 (Handscomb 70; Dwarshius 3-26, O’Keefe 2-22) by five wickets with 31 balls to spare

The hero: After losing his place in Australia's Test side, Peter Handscomb displayed his unquestionable class for the Melbourne Stars in his first appearance of the KFC BBL season, putting the Sydney Sixers’ bowling attack to the sword to silence the SCG crowd. Handscomb signalled his intent by whacking a six over deep square leg off paceman Ben Dwarshuis to get off the mark. His sumptuous straight drive off debutant Greg West, which cleared the long on fence, was another strike of authority in an exhibition of clean hitting. Handscomb reached his half-century from just 22 balls in an innings chock-full of highlights and blasted 70 from 35 balls – a neat strike rate of 200 – with nine boundaries and three sixes. He put on 87 with Nick Larkin (20) for the second wicket to set up the triumph and the Stars needed only 22 for victory when he was dismissed. Following scores of 34,14, 7 and 13 in the ongoing Domain series against India, it was a much-needed with for the Stars after back-to-back defeats to start the tournament.

The star spinner: Nepal leg-spinning prodigy Sandeep Lamichhane continued his red-hot form for the Stars with another tidy spell of bowling. The 18-year-old claimed the big wickets of Moises Henriques and Tom Curran (both lbw), returning 2-18 from his four overs. Lamichhane is now the leading wicket-taker in BBL|08 with seven wickets from three games at 11.14 apiece. Having played alongside Glenn Maxwell at Delhi in the IPL this year, the teenager has thrived under the Australian's leadership in his maiden BBL campaign.

The supporting cast: Left-arm paceman Jackson Coleman collected the best figures of his BBL career to dismantle the Sixers. Coleman grabbed the wickets of Daniel Hughes, Sean Abbott and Steve O’Keefe to finish with 3-18 from three overs. West Indian Dwayne Bravo (2-28) was also a standout for the Sixers, while spinners Maxwell (1-27 from four overs) and Adam Zampa (1-17 from three) backed up the Lamichhane’s efforts. Skipper Maxwell, perhaps surprisingly, sent down three overs during the Power Play but was effective, while Zampa opened the bowling. 

The consolation act: The unassuming Jordan Silk produced his second innings of substance from three knocks for the Sixers in BBL|08, finishing unbeaten on 41 not out from 37 balls as the rest of his teammates struggled to fire against the disciplined Stars. Silk also made 67 not out against the Scorchers in his team’s opening match of the season, underlining his value in the middle order.

The catch: Sixers skipper Henriques completed this classic catch to end Larkin’s stay at the crease.

The problem: While the Stars secured victory, they do have an issue at the top of the order. Handscomb replaced Travis Dean in the opening slot and rediscovered his best form, but Ben Dunk’s lean run continued as he was dismissed by O’Keefe. The left-hander, the leading run-scorer in the third and sixth editions of the BBL, has returned scores of 2,10 and 4 this tournament after hitting 115 runs at 11.5 in his debut season for the Stars. In a plus for the Melbourne team, Nic Maddinson said on Fox Cricket tonight that he was hoping to return to the field in "a couple of weeks" after sustaining a fractured arm while on debut for Victoria in the JLT Sheffield Shield earlier this month.

The ‘keeper: Before he dazzled with bat in hand, Handscomb made an immediate impact with the gloves for the Stars, stumping Sixers opener Jack Edwards on the second ball of the match. Edwards missed a length ball from Adam Zampa, with Handscomb whipping off the bails before – in the opinion of TV umpire Gerard Abood – the 18-year-old’s foot was grounded. Handscomb took Dunk’s spot behind the stumps after being dropped from the Test team.

The next stops: The Sixers will be looking to rebound when they take on the undefeated Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, while the Stars will face the Renegades at the MCG in a blockbuster Melbourne derby on New Year’s Day.