An unbeaten 109-run partnership by Jordan Silk and skipper Moises Henriques steered the Sixers to a thumping win over their Harbour City rivals with 22 balls to spare
Match Report:
ScorecardSixers go top with emphatic Sydney Smash win
Sydney Sixers stalwarts Sean Abbott, Moises Henriques and Jordan Silk starred as their side moved to the top of the KFC BBL|12 standings with a seven-wicket win over crosstown rivals Sydney Thunder.
Paceman Abbott spearheaded a strong Sixers bowling effort as they restricted Thunder to 8-133 in their Sydney Smash derby at Sydney Showground Stadium.
The Sixers slumped to 3-25 after four overs, but middle-order linchpins Silk and Henriques took control of the game with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 109 off 75 balls.
Silk (59 off 42) and Henriques (53 off 38) displayed their experience, working the ball into gaps for singles and hitting the occasional boundary when the Thunder bowlers erred.
It was Silk's first half century of the season and Henriques' highest score in this season's campaign.
The win, which was achieved with 22 balls remaining, lifted the Sixers above the Scorchers to first, though Perth have two games in hand.
The Thunder, who lost their first match in five fixtures, dropped to fourth below Melbourne Renegades on net-run-rate.
Both innings started in similar fashion in front of almost 21,000 spectators.
The Thunder crashed to 3-12 inside the first three overs, with all three dismissed batters trapped lbw.
A fourth-wicket stand of 64 between Alex Ross (34 off 34) and Sam Whiteman (42 off 34) in his first game of BBL|12, revived the Thunder innings.
The Sixers regained the initiative by taking 3-17 but some lusty late innings hitting from Ben Cutting (26no from 15 balls) boosted the Thunder's total.
Abbott (3-9 off four overs)bowled 17 dot balls and boosted his haul for the season to 16, the joint second-highest wicket-taker along with the Scorchers quick AJ Tyeand the Strikers Henry Thornton.
The Thunder needed quick wickets and like the Sixers struck three times In the Powerplay.
Captain and spinner Chris Green (2-29 off four) had Josh Philippe caught at slip in the second over and Cutting took a fine leaping catch at third off Brendan Doggett (1-23 off four) to remove James Vince.
Green then had the recalled Kurtis Patterson caught in the deep.
English internationals Hales, Vince and Sixers paceman Chris Jordan were all playing their final game of the season before departing to the UAE's ILT20 tournament.
The Sixers will regain Test stars Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon following the Sydney Test, while Thunder welcome back David Warner.