The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That'll be all from this contest but there's loads more cricketing action coming your way from around the globe. Do stay tuned to Sportskeeda for our coverage of the same. Thank you so much for tuning in today - this is the duo of Mohul Bhowmick and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. See you around soon - buh-bye for now!
Steve Smith has made the world sit up and take note of his T20 resurgence alright. One team that would have watched closely are the Perth Scorchers, who will host their arch-rivals again in the Qualifier comes Saturday. One of the two most successful teams in BBL history will play the summit clash. Both could as well, but time will tell if that is what materializes. As for the Hurricanes, they have one more contest left against the Brisbane heat in Launceston on Wednesday, January 25. They simply have to win that contest while also pinning their hopes on a couple of other results going their way in order to sneak into that top five. Net run-rate is another critical element here so it's time to get those calculators out as well!
Steve Smith has been declared the Player of the Match again. Here's what he has to say: (Motive ahead of joining the Sixers) Just help the boys win another title. We've given ourselves another chance. Obviously going to Perth, it'll be my last game for the season. Hopefully we can win. Been playing a lot of games at home where the wicket has been on the slower side. That wicket's got a lot of pace and bounce. Different surface there. I'm playing for a reason. I feel like I'm contributing. One more game, hopefully another win and we'll see how it goes.
Match Summary: Sydney Sixers beat Hobart Hurricanes by 24 runs.
Steve Smith 66 (33) | Jackson Bird 2/26 (3) Zak Crawley 49 (45) | Patrick Dooley 3/42 (4)
Another comprehensive victory for the three-time BBL champions and they round off the league phase with another couple of points to their kitty. They had a solid score to work with on the back of another Steve Smith masterclass, with useful contributions lower down the order also playing its part.
But with the ball, they barely put a foot wrong. Jackson Bird swung the new ball and halted Ben McDermott's attempt to take the game heads on, even as he suggested that he hadn't hit the ball. It was a day for the TV umpire to intervene on quite a few occasions alright, but it never deterred the Sixers' charge one bit. Caleb Jewell couldn't get going either and after Matthew Wade's enterprising start was cut short, the writing seemed to be on the wall for the Hurricanes.
Zak Crawley was timing it well and unleashed some outstanding shots, although the dot ball percentage wasn't as low as he'd have liked. There was no mucking around as far as Tim David was concerned and the duo put the chase on track to just make things interesting. Once David departed, however, it just escalated the equation to difficult proportions.
Crawley tried to take it deep and found the odd boundary in the company of D'Arcy Short but after the latter was yorked by Hayden Kerr and the former holed out to deep mid-wicket, any hopes of a comeback were vanquished instantly. There was a contentious decision when Bird claimed a catch near the inner circle but the TV umpire deemed it inconclusive from the replays. It didn't affect the Sixers, however, as they wrapped things up without a fuss on the back of some professional bowling and very tidy fielding (notwithstanding Smith's minor blip off the last ball of the innings).
Steve Smith is human folks! We had our doubts, but even he can make mistakes after all eh? The Sixers won't be complaining much though. Just a very minor blip in an otherwise professional defense.
20
overs
156/8score
2
4
0
6
1
1
runs
Paddy Dooley*
1(1)
Nathan Ellis
20(9)
Ben Dwarshuis
0/36
19.6 Ben Dwarshuis to Patrick Dooley, PUT DOWN! So, he is human after all! Steve Smith drops a sitter! But the SIXERS WIN BY 24 RUNS! At a length on off and middle. Dooley swings it away towards deep midwicket, where Steve Smith is blinded by the lights and puts the catch down. A single is taken.
Ellis is definitely no slouch with the bat and he's better than a number 9 alright. How is he batting so low? Something for the Hurricanes to think about.
19.5 Ben Dwarshuis to Nathan Ellis, slowish bouncer on off and middle. Ellis drags the pull towards short fine leg for a run.
19.4 Ben Dwarshuis to Nathan Ellis, SIX! SHOT! Full on middle and leg, comes back in. Ellis makes himself nice and large, waits for the ball to come and swings it away over deep midwicket for a maximum!