Big Bash League: Sydney Sixers romp to win in opening match

Henriques, Hughes half-centuries allow side to defeat Sydney Thunder by nine wickets

KARACHI: A brilliant 76-run knock by man of the match Moises Henriques was enough to see Sydney Sixers defeat Sydney Thunder in the opening match of the Big Bash League at the Sydney Showground Stadium on Tuesday.

Henriques put up a 115-run second-wicket partnership with opener Daniel Hughes, who made 54 not out, to reach the 160-run target with nine wickets to spare.

Having been asked to bat first, Thunder lost opener Kurtis Patterson (eight) in the third over after he was caught by Doug Bollinger off Steve O’Keefe’s delivery.

Ryan Gibson (53) and Eoin Morgan (26) then gave their side a lift as they registered a 55-run partnership to put some runs on the board but as soon as Morgan got dismissed, a batting collapse was triggered which saw Thunder go from 71-2 in the ninth over to 86-6 by the 12^th over.

Pat Cummins steadied the ship when he put up 41 runs with Gibson to take Thunder past the 100-run mark and then carried on after Gibson was dismissed in the 17^th over to allow his side to post a defendable total.

Cummins lost his wicket on the last ball of the penultimate over with the team 147-8. Clint McKay (14) showed some resolve to take his side to 159 in their allotted 20 overs.

Ben Dwarshuis, Joe Mennie and Bollinger took two wickets apiece.

In reply, Sixers reached the target without much resistance as Henriques and Hughes were enough to see off the chase.

Andre Russell was the only bowler from Thunder to get among the wickets, dismissing opener Jason Roy (27) in the sixth over.