Smith top scores as Sixers down 'Gades in tense finish

Steve Smith has starred with a half-century for the Sydney Sixers in a nail-biting eight-run KFC BBL win over the Melbourne Renegades on Friday night at the SCG.

With the Renegades needing 22 runs from the final over for victory, paceman Ben Dwarshuis (3-36) stepped up for the Sixers only days after the sudden death of his father.

He bowled Tom Rogers with the first ball of the over before conceding a six from allrounder Will Sutherland as the Renegades' last hope kept the game in the balance.

But Sutherland (51no off 30) swung and missed the penultimate ball of the game, with the equation of nine runs then out of the Renegades' grasp with one ball remaining.

The Renegades finished on 7-167 in reply to the Sixers' 6-175 as Sydney extended their four-year unbeaten run over their Melbourne rivals.

The Renegades were left to rue meagre contributions from their top order, losing captain Nic Maddinson for six in the first over on his return from injury and they stumbled from there.

Young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk (48 off 24) was the only other batter who seriously threatened for the Renegades as he just fell short of his first BBL half-century.

Smith picked up where he left off last BBL summer, again opening the batting and setting the tone for the Sixers by top scoring with 61 after they were sent in by Maddinson.

After the Sixers lost 2-2 from Sutherland's bowling, Smith steadied the ship during a 69-partnership for the third wicket with a favourite co-conspirator in Moises Henriques.

Smith brought his seventh BBL half-century with a single off Sutherland, who finished with 2-21.

It took long-time Australian teammate Adam Zampa (2-24) to dismiss Smith in the 17th over and prevent the all-out carnage that had crowds flocking to see him last summer.

Also playing his first match on home soil since their 50-over World Cup triumph, Zampa enticed Smith into skying a shot to deep square leg, where he was caught by Jono Wells.

Zampa threatened to turn the game on its head as he bowled English allrounder Tom Curran for a golden duck with his next delivery, but he missed out on his maiden BBL hat-trick.

Nevertheless, the leg-spinner halted the momentum, something the Sixers only regained in a 17-run final over that featured two sixes from Jordan Silk (26no off 14 balls).

A rare clash for Smith with Test teammate Nathan Lyon was put on ice as the superstar off-spinner missed the game to ready himself for next week's Perth Test.

Smith is hoping to play for the Sixers once more this summer in a clash with the Sydney Thunder on January 12, that falls between the Pakistan and West Indies Test series.

KFC BBL|13 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	10	7	1	0	2	0.972	0	16
2 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	10	6	2	0	2	0.339	0	14
3 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	10	6	3	0	1	0.725	0	13
4 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	10	5	4	0	1	0.331	0	11
5 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	10	4	6	0	0	-0.268	0	8
6 Melbourne Stars Men STA	10	4	6	0	0	-1.051	0	8
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	10	2	6	0	2	-0.288	0	6
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	10	1	7	0	2	-0.652	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

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