Sydney Sixers 183 for 7 (Smith 52, Dwarshuis 30, L Pope 2-33, Overton 2-35) won Adelaide Strikers 182 for 5 (O Pope 57, Ross 48, Overton 32*, Murphy 2-2) for three wickets
Chasing 183 at the Adelaide Oval, Smith’s excellent form continued for a quick half-century, but his dismissal led to a collapse. The Sixers fell to 92 for 5, but recovered thanks to their batting depth.
They still needed 16 of the last seven pitches before Kerr crashed Lloyd Pope’s delivery over the rope. He then hit quick Henry Thornton for a boundary off the second ball of the over before Abbott got the winning run off the penultimate delivery.
The Sixers rose to the top of the standings, while the Strikers need a miracle to advance to the final.
Smith dominates early, Kerr steps up late
All eyes were on Smith after his strong performance against Perth Scorchers on his return to the BBL. With three centuries in his last seven BBL matches, he is clearly enjoying letting his hair down with the Sixers, whom he captained to the title in the competition’s first season.
Smith’s incredible BBL record continued with 52 off 31 balls and began with a third ball six after bowling quick Brendan Doggett over the leg side. He smashed four sixes with the loud bang that came from the music of the bat in the ears of the Sixers.
Smith’s best shot might have been a smoke from Thornton’s back that headed towards the boundary like a tracer bullet. He scored 34 of the 47 runs on the power play before shifting gears with the field spread out.
But Smith’s dismissal of Jamie Overton just before drinks led to a collapse with Jordan Silk later falling in the 10th over lbw after a failed review. Captain Moisés Henriques, who had requested the review, was declared lbw against spinner Lloyd Pope, but was furious at the decision that had affected his pads.
The Sixers fell to 92 for 5 before Ben Dwarshuis and Lachlan Shaw created a spirited half-century partnership. They didn’t get to see the Sixers at home, but Kerr took on the Strikers once again, having memorably taken them home in the BBL 11 Challenger Final.
His six goals against Pope, who came into the game thanks to captain Matthew Short, were perhaps the decisive moment. Overton ends the season on a high
The forwards’ season appeared in ruins under the onslaught of Smith, who reached his half-century off just 27 balls. But Overton had other ideas in his final BBL match before joining his England teammates for the white-ball tour of India.
He came on the attack just before drinks and produced a big lead against Smith who flew to short third. Overton then caught Silk lbw later on a game changer.
The forwards couldn’t get over the line, but Overton can be very pleased with their season. The Blight has become a favorite of Strikers fans but a villain to opposition fans as one of the characters of this season of BBL.
Chohan unleashed, Shaw shines on the field
The Sixers, in their trademark style, were a well-oiled machine in the first 10 overs after electing to bowl. Henriques brilliantly made the changes while rotating his quick four during the power play.
He then bowled the ball to bowler Todd Murphy, who claimed D’Arcy Short and Alex Carey in, interestingly, his only over of the innings.
The Sixers weren’t as skilled after drinks, and their quicks were unable to execute. For the second game in a row, Abbott struggled to the death to cap a forgettable performance.
But Shaw, 22, did provide some joy on the field. In just his fourth BBL game, Shaw produced an excellent fielding move on the leg-side rope where he acrobatically threw the ball back into play to avoid a boundary.
Shaw, normally a wicketkeeper, produced another spectacular effort in the outfield after a diving catch, having initially misjudged, amid windy conditions to dismiss Alex Ross.
Strikers recovering well after high-level collapse
In the Strikers’ last match, they skinned the Brisbane Heat and racked up the second-highest score in BBL history. Matthew Short produced a belligerent century but faced a surface that was not rock hard and walked to the crease without his opening partner Chris Lynn, who suffered a hamstring injury in that match.
Short looked to pick up where he left off with a boundary straight to Jack Edwards, who was named Australia A’s new captain that same day.
But Short was unable to replicate the shot, simply hitting Edwards directly in the air in the first of three reckless dismissals.
Carey missed the overrun against the Heat and looked set to make up for it with three early boundaries. But Carey fell tamely after the power play, picking two deep balls in the middle of the field after D’Arcy Short was bowled cleanly by Murphy for failing to execute a reverse sweep.
It was left to Ross and Ollie Pope, who made their move after taking over in the 12th over.
Ross hit several drives for offside, but Pope was more fluid and reached his half-century off 35 balls before Overton provided a late burst in the death overs.
Harry Manenti hit a six on debut to complete an impressive comeback for the Strikers. Manenti, who has represented Italy in international cricket, received his cap from his brother Ben, a member of the Sixers team.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth.
