Quantcast

Roy shines, Henriques guides Sixers to win

Englishman dominates highlights reel as Sixers skipper guides his side to victory in the BBL opener

The score: Sydney Thunder 8-159 (Gibson 53, Cummins 30) lose to Sydney Sixers (Henriques 76no, Hughes 54no) by nine wickets with 12 balls to spare

The match in a tweet: Roy's highlights and Russell's bat grab the headlines, but Henriques is the star as the Sixers thump the Thunder

The hero: Sydney Sixers skipper Moises Henriques walked to the crease when the match was in the balance, and left the field after guiding his side to a comfortable victory. Having been overlooked for a Test recall earlier in the day, Henriques started slowly but accelerated when the required run rate threatened to get out of hand, finishing with an entertaining flourish to end the match 76 not out from just 41 balls.

Henriques guides Sixers to BBL victory

The turning point: With seven overs remaining and 61 runs still required for victory, the run chase was set to come down to the wire. But Henriques changed the match in the space of just five deliveries, hitting Pat Cummins for 6, 4, 4, 2 and 4 in consecutive deliveries, the over yielding a total of 21 runs to reduce the equation to just 40 required from 36 balls.

Cummins hammered for 21 off an over

The dropped catches: They were difficult chances, but Clint McKay and Cummins were both left to rue dropping catches in the run chase. McKay gave match-winner Henriques a reprieve from the first ball he faced, while Cummins was unable to pull in a tough chance when Henriques was on 28. Neither chances were straight forward, but Henriques made them pay.

Thunder give Henriques a life twice

The support cast: Daniel Hughes provided crucial support for Henriques, posting 54 not out at the top of the order while spinner Steve O'Keefe also impressed in his return from injury, finishing with 1-16 from four overs opening the bowling.

Hughes impresses with a half-century

The catch: What an entrance from Jason Roy! The Englishman is known for his powerful batting, but he stole the headlines in the field with this stunning catch.

Roy stunner removes Rohrer in Sydney

The six: Incredibly, Roy almost outdid himself with the highlight of the night thanks to this monster six off the bowling of Cummins. Mark Waugh has already declared it as hard to beat as the best shot of the tournament, and we reckon that's a good shout. An incredible shot.

'I don't think you'll see a better shot this BBL than that'

The bat: Andre Russell is one of the stars of the Big Bash League and he made a statement before he'd even faced a ball in the Thunder's innings. The West Indian walked out to the middle with an all-black bat in his hands, a unique variation on the norm that Cricket Australia confirmed is completely within the rules of the tournament.

Russell unveils outrageous bat in the BBL

The rookie: In his first-ever BBL match, Thunder opener Ryan Gibson impressed with a crucial 43-ball innings of 53 to steer the Thunder to a solid total. The right-hander struck six fours in his innings, putting his hand up for more BBL action this summer, even when batting guns like Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson are fit and available.

Gibson hammers three straight fours

The mullet: He's back! The cult hero of the Big Bash League last season, simply known as 'Mullet Kid', is back better than ever this season!

Mullet Kid is back! Cult hero returns for BBL|06

The cameo: Everyone knows Cummins can bowl and bowl very well, but plenty of fans won't know much about his prowess with the bat. The right-hander regularly bats up the order in club cricket and launched three powerful sixes here tonight in a crucial innings for his side.

Cummins launches three bombs in crucial knock

The luck: They say bad umpiring decisions tend to even out over time, but it took only two balls for the Thunder to get one back after Eoin Morgan's dismissal in the ninth over. The England ODI captain was given out caught behind off the bowling of Johan Botha, even though replays suggested there was no bat on ball. But the Thunder had some good fortune the very next ball when Ben Rohrer was hit in front of his stumps, only for the Sixers' appeal to be waved away

Luck changes in the space of two balls