Hurricanes cling on as Sixers remain winless

The score: Hobart Hurricanes 6-170 (Short 42, Wade 41; Abbott 3-27) beat Sydney Sixers 4-165 (Billings 61no, Silk 45; Mills 2-42)

Match in a tweet: 'Canes cling on! Billings brilliance almost snatches miracle but winless run continues for Sixers #BBL07

The heroes: A group effort tonight for the 'Canes, with no batsman passing 50 and no bowler taking three wickets. D'Arcy Short has been in super touch of late and he was excellent again with 42 (36), while Matthew Wade hit the ball sweetly in his 41 (30). Late cameos from Dan Christian (28no off 14) and Simon Milenko (22 off 10) propped the total up nicely, while with the ball, Tymal Mills bounced back from a tough run with some quality changes of pace and key wickets, and Christian was excellent with 1-27 from his four overs.

The consolation effort: Englishman Sam Billings (61no off 30) is a creative force in the T20 format, and he teamed up well with Jordan Silk in the second half of the Sixers innings, helping bring the contest to life with some clever stroke-play that took proceedings to the final over. From there, a couple of sixes when the runs required read '18 from 3' reduced the equation to six from one, and suddenly we had a grandstand finish. An airswing ended proceedings flatly but it was a superb knock nonetheless. Sean Abbott had gone wicket-less for three matches but the leading wicket-taker of BBL|06 rediscovered his mojo tonight, taking the key wickets of Short, George Bailey and Ben McDermott. Silk again displayed his wares as a T20 batsman, knocking up an excellent 45 (36) that helped keep the contest alive until late.

The turning point: When McDermott fell in the 17th over, the 'Canes were 5-128 and the Sixers were on top. Enter Milenko alongside Christian. Twenty-two balls later, the home side had added an emphatic 42 to their total and suddenly the run chase looked a lot more daunting.

The battle of the sixes: The Hurricanes have some big hitters in their line-up but there were three shots that particularly stood out for the hosts: D'Arcy Short hammered one for 107 metres; Ben McDermott put one onto the roof over midwicket; while Simon Milenko laced one spectacularly over cover. Which was your favourite?

The victim: Sixers rookie Daniel Sams had a difficult evening, going for 49 from his four overs and claiming the lone scalp of Milenko from the penultimate ball of the innings. He was also smashed for this massive six from Short – never a pleasant feeling for any quick.

The stat: This is the worst-ever start to a Big Bash season for the Sixers. They finished last in BBL|05 but have never started a season zero and six.

The silly point: Wade was an early arrival in the middle after the fall of opener Alex Doolan, and it clearly caught him short – the left-hander forgot not just his thigh pad, but his inner thigh pad as well!

The fantasy wrap: Billings grabbed 93 points for Fantasy players who have the Englishman in their side, Christian's all-round effort garnered 90 points, while Abbott's bowling earned him 86 points.

The next stops: The Hurricanes fly up to Brisbane for a showdown with the Heat on Wednesday night, while the Sixers host the Thunder in the Sydney Smash at the SCG on Saturday night.