Philippe, O'Keefe help Sixers topple cross-town rivals

The match in a tweet: Philippe punishes Thunder, O'Keefe spins web as Sixers stay top of the #BBL10 ladder with win over Sydney rivals

The score: Sydney Thunder 6-166 (Hales 57, Sams 50no; O'Keefe 3-15) lost to the Sydney Sixers 5-132 (Philippe 64; Sams 2-25) by five wickets with eight balls remaining under the DLS method

The points: Sydney Thunder: 0, Sydney Sixers: 4

The rain: After the Thunder posted a competitive score in a clash of the KFC BBL'S leading sides, wet weather hit Canberra's Manuka Oval as six overs were lost in the second innings. The Sixers were left with a target of 129 from 14 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method and secured their seventh victory of the season in clinical fashion.

The hero: Wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe was a dominant presence at the top of the order, finishing with 64 from 36 deliveries to set up the Sixers' triumph. While there were some nervous moments when his team slipped to 4-98, Philippe remained ice cool with his onslaught in the initial Powerplay proving decisive.

The emerging right-hander smacked Thunder spinner Jono Cook for four boundaries and a six in the second over of the innings as he raced to 30 from 10 balls before reaching his ninth BBL half-century. He was bowled by Sams with just one run needed, but the result may have been different without Philippe's hand.

Given he made his debut in December 2017, Philippe is building an impressive record and is rarely out of the runs for too long. His display helped him regain the BKT Golden Cap as leading run-scorer as he lifted his season tally to 337 runs at 33.7 to go with a strike rate of 145.88.

The supporting cast: Wily spinner Steve O'Keefe may be 36 years old, but he remains one of the BBL's most dangerous slow bowlers. Tonight he returned 3-15 from four immaculate overs – his best figures this tournament – to halt the Thunder's momentum. With the Thunder 2-85 in the 10th over and Englishmen Alex Hales and Sam Billings set, O'Keefe intervened to remove both in the same over. Billings was the first to go for 15 from as many deliveries before Hales (54 from 33) perished two deliveries later after an entertaining knock. O'Keefe then trapped Alex Ross LBW in his next over to make it three wickets in nine balls in an elite spell of slow bowling.

The consolation acts: Alex Hales stood up at the top of the order for the Thunder, hitting his second half-century of BBL|10. He also has scores of 45, 46 and 46 this tournament and temporarily took ownership of the Golden Cap, and sent the watching England press corp into a frenzy as they again pondered aloud why he's not in the national team'sT20 set-up. Allrounder Daniel Sams also compiled his second fifty of the tournament at No.6, finishing unbeaten on 50 from 37 with four boundaries and a six to lift his side to a competitive total before claiming 2-25 with the ball.

The delivery: Young spinner Lloyd Pope sent down a superb leg-break to dismiss Thunder skipper Callum Ferguson for three, with Philippe completing the catch. We'll let the video tell the story…

Lloyd Pope rips one to take the edge of Callum Ferguson's bat https://t.co/697GdXBRTi | #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/nRDtO7rIuC

The Bash Boost: The Sixers improved their win-loss record to 7-3 in BBL|10 with a convincing victory and claimed the bonus point for the eighth time this tournament, which could prove crucial in their quest for back-to-back titles.

The next stops: The Sixers will return to Manuka Oval to face the in-form Perth Scorchers on Saturday (January 16), while the Thunder will meet Hobart Hurricanes at the same venue on Monday (January 18).

Sydney Sixers XI: Josh Philippe (wk), Justin Avendano, James Vince, Daniel Hughes (c), Jordan Silk, Dan Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Stephen O'Keefe, Jackson Bird, Jake Ball, Lloyd Pope.

Sydney Thunder XI: Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (c), Sam Billings (wk), Alex Ross, Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Nathan McAndrew, Adam Milne, Jonathan Cook, Tanveer Sangha