Sixers batters James Vince and Dan Hughes made it look comfortable as Melbourne Stars saw their four-game win streak snapped
Match Report:
ScorecardSixers climb to second with crucial win over Stars
Opener James Vince and No.3 Dan Hughes have batted supremely, leading the Sydney Sixers to an easy KFC BBL win over the Melbourne Stars.
Chasing 4-156 on Saturday night at the MCG, the Sixers scored 3-157 to win with 11 balls left.
The Sixers improved to second, breaking a run of rain-affected games and ending the Stars' four-game winning streak.
It's an important result, with the Sixers third and the Stars fourth on eight points apiece going into the game.
Vince and Hughes put on 99 for the second wicket off 67 balls to take the game away from Melbourne.
The opener top-scored with 79 from 56 balls, with 12 fours, while Hughes made 41 from 32 deliveries.
The game remained evenly poised midway through the Sixers' innings, with Sydney 1-68 in comparison to the Stars' 3-81.
But the Sixers had reached 128 when Hughes was dismissed at the end of the 15th over and the match was as good as over.
Test paceman Scott Boland returned for the Stars and took 2- 38 from four overs.
The Sixers won the toss and after Glenn Maxwell threatened one of his special innings that would have torn the match apart, spinner Todd Murphy responded with an outstanding spell in which he claimed the crucial wicket of the big-hitting Stars captain.
Maxwell came to the crease with his side in early trouble at 2-41 in the sixth over.
He quickly went on the warpath and belted four fours and two sixes in his 31 from 14 balls before Murphy struck.
The spinner enticed Maxwell with a wide ball and Sean Abbott caught him in deep cover for a crucial breakthrough.
Murphy was outstanding, also bowling in-form Beau Webster for a duck in his 2-15 from four overs.
After opener Dan Lawrence was dismissed for a top score of 36 in the 14th over, Stoinis and Cartwright struggled to find the boundary with any regularity in their 56-run partnership.
Cartwright hit a six into the second tier of the Shane Warne Stand off Abbott at the end of the 19th over, before he and Stoinis added some much-needed meat to the innings with three fours at the last.
Stoinis scored 34 from 30 balls and Cartwright made 29 from 22.
Melbourne were without wicketkeeper Sam Harper, who is out of hospital after being hit on the head while batting at Friday training.
Australia international Peter Handscomb took his place as the Stars also welcomed back Boland, while the Sixers brought back Hughes to great effect.
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
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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