Sydney Sixers have now won two in two matches to start their BBL 13 journey. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first at Blundstone Arena, Hobart Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis decided to bowl first. The Hurricanes got off to a flyer, scoring 28 runs in the first two overs. However, things quickly went downhill.
The pitch, which initially seemed like a belter, turned out to be a slow wicket. The Hurricanes aimed to score 220+ on this wicket, which backfired spectacularly. They should have gone slower, as Ricky Ponting mentioned in commentary. When a team is looking to score 220+, they really need to pace themselves and adjust their plans according to the pitch conditions.
The Hurricanes did not do this, and at one stage, from overs 7 to 8, they lost three wickets in the space of three runs, which severely impacted their batting performance. They never truly recovered from this struggle.
From 66 for 2 to 69 for 5, the Hobart Hurricanes middle order collapsed. The Sydney Sixers bowled well, as earlier attempts to bowl short were not effective. However, they quickly adjusted their lengths and started bowling fuller. This proved more effective, and the bowlers stuck to this plan throughout the game.
The Hurricanes showed some fight from their lower order, but it was only due to some decent tail-end batting that they reached 135 all out. They were probably 15-20 runs short on this wicket.
The chase was not going to be much of a challenge for the Sydney Sixers, but they still had to bat well to chase down a small target on a challenging wicket. What really helped them was the injury to Hurricanes’ top bowler Riley Meredith in the second over of his spell.
The Hurricanes bowlers did well, but the score was simply not defendable
Sydney Sixers were quite clinical in their chase and taught the Hurricanes a valuable lesson in how to chase down small targets on a difficult wicket. Daniel Hughes was the top scorer for the Sixers with a well-paced 45 runs off 45 balls.
It was an interesting knock, as Hughes came into the team because Steven Smith had left for national duties. Hughes used his experience, having played many BBL games, to his advantage and played a match-winning knock.
Hobart Hurricanes are a team with potential. They have a young but mature captain in Nathan Ellis and a solid batting order with Corey Anderson and Tim David in the middle order, who are arguably one of the most destructive pairs in the BBL.
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They will need to find a way to move on from Riley Meredith’s injury. It has been confirmed that he has a serious issue with his right groin, and Billy Stanlake will likely replace him in the upcoming matches.
For the Sydney Sixers, there is no trouble. They have started their tournament on a strong note and have shown their versatility by winning while batting first and chasing. On both occasions, their bowling has been excellent. They are slowly shaping up to be one of the favorites to win thetournament this year.
