SYDNEY: Skipper Moises Henriques scored an unbeaten half-century and powered Sydney Sixers to thump Melbourne Renegades by five wickets in the second match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2024 here at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Monday.
Put into bat first, the Renegades registered a formidable total of 169/7 on the board, thanks to Tim Seifert’s half-century, followed by skipper Will Sutherland’s brisk 36-run cameo.
The visitors had a shaky start to their innings as they lost their explosive opener Jake Fraser-McGurk on the first delivery of the third over with just 22 runs on the board.
Following the early hiccup, Seifert joined Josh Brown in the middle and launched recovery.
The duo added an important 38 runs in just 22 balls before Brown fell victim to Joel Davies on the last delivery of the batting powerplay. The opening batter scored a 10-ball 22, which featured three fours and a six.
His dismissal sparked a brief middle-order collapse which saw Renegades losing three wickets in quick succession and slipping to 92/5 in 11.2 overs.
Meanwhile, Seifert, who remained firm during the collapse, finally received subtle support from the other end in the form of Sutherland.
The duo, as a result, put together a crucial 50-run partnership, which culminated with Seifert’s dismissal in the 17th over.
The New Zealand international remained the top-scorer for the Renegades with a 42-ball 55, comprised of six fours and a six.
Sutherland, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 36 off 28 deliveries.
For the Sixers, Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis bagged two wickets each, while Jack Edwards, Hayden Kerr and Davies chipped in with a scalp apiece.
Set to chase 170, the home side comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of five wickets and nine balls to spare, thanks to Henriques’s half-century.
The home side, however, had a contrasting start as their opener Josh Philippe (five) fell victim to Tom Rogers in the second over with the scoreboard reading 19/1.
But a 62-run partnership for the second wicket between James Vince and Jack Edwards put Renegades back in the hunt.
Edwards scored a 28-ball 37, while Vince made 40 off 29 deliveries before both perished in the span of just 12 deliveries.
The Sixers then lost two more wickets –Jordan Silk (two) and Davies (10) – in quick succession and were consequently reduced to 126/5 in 14.2 overs.
But Henriques’s sensible half-century steered them over the line with nine balls to spare.
The right-handed batter remained the top-scorer for the Sixers with an unbeaten 53 off just 27 balls, studded with four fours and three sixes.
For his match-winning knock, Henriques was adjudged the player of the match.
