The 11th season of the Big Bash League started on two extremes as it saw a brilliant batting performance from the Sydney Sixers which registered its highest ever total in BBL history and 8th in the league’s history to score 213-4 against Melbourne Stars.
In the same game though, the Stars registered their lowest score in the BBL history and that too by a huge margin as they folded out for 61 in just 11.1 overs. Their previous lowest total was 99 which was incidentally registered against Sixers only in 2020.
For Stars, who were without the services of World Cup hero Marcus Stoinis in this game, it wasn’t going to be an easy chase at all. However, the meek way in which they surrendered was unlike the character shown by their skipper Glenn Maxwell and even the team itself.
In the very first over itself, opener Joe Clarke and number three Nick Larkin were trapped by Steve O’Keefe who would go on to pick four wickets in the entire match. From there onwards, the men in green just couldn’t recover as wickets fell one after another.
Sean Abbott who dismissed Maxwell in the fourth over of the innings also picked three wickets. Peter Neville the other opener alongside Clarke for the Stars was the highest scorer with 18 off 14 balls. Apart from him, only Hilton Cartwright was able to get into the double-digit for the team from Melbourne.
Earlier in the evening, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first at their home ground of SCG, the Sixers started slowly but build on the momentum by the openers Josh Philippe and James Vince. While Philippe scored 83 off 47 balls, Vince got out on 44. Moises Henriques, the skipper of the side who came to bat at number three was unstoppable as he smashed his way to a 38 ball 76, scoring at a strike rate of more than 200.
Courtesy of these big scores, the Sixers reached 213 in their 20 overs. For the Stars, Brody Couch picked two wickets while Maxwell and Sam Rainbird shared one each. This win of the Sixers by 152 runs is now the biggest in the history of the league.