SS vs ST

That will be all from us here at Sportskeeda. It was a breathtaking showdown between the two sides, make no mistake about it. For more entertainment, keep following us. We will be bringing you a ton of cricketing action from across leagues over this weekend, so be sure to be tuned in. For now, this will be Datrim Ray, signing off on behalf of Pradeep and everyone else at Sportskeeda. Goodbye and see you all soon!

Steve Smith is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: "(On the innings and the match-winning surge) It was a nice wicket to bat on. Chasing a big total, it was important to get off to a solid start. Babar and I put together a really good partnership that set the platform, and once we reached the surge, it was time to go. Thankfully, a few went over the fence and we managed to get ahead of the required rate. (On the big hits and targeting the boundary) That side of the ground felt a bit shorter, and there might have been a touch of wind helping as well. The seamers felt like the right match-up at that stage, and I expected them to bowl into the wicket. The plan was to try and launch a few, and luckily I hit a few right out of the middle. (On the decision-making during the surge) We spoke around the 10-over mark about taking the surge. I decided to hold off for one over because I wanted to target the short boundary and didn’t want to waste the first over. The idea was to get around 30 from that over, and we ended up with 32, so it worked well — even if Babar wasn’t too happy about me turning down the single. (On the importance of the next game) The next game against Brisbane is another must-win for us. It’s a big one, and I’m really looking forward to it."

10:32 PM Local Time (5:02 PM IST): Sydney Sixers have won by 5 wickets.

Steve Smith - 100 (42) | Sam Curran 3/28
David Warner 110 (65) | Nathan McAndrew 2/34

A wobbly win, but a win nonetheless for the Sydney Sixers! They keep themselves alive and look all set to come face-to-face against the Brisbane Heat this Sunday! It’s an evening where everything fell in the right place for the Sixers! The Sixers' openers hardly gave the Thunder any chance to exert their authority in this match. Both Babar and Smith showed urgency while scoring during the initial phase of the powerplay. The Sixers’ skipper, in particular, launched a scathing attack on the Thunder and smoked it to all parts. In no time, the Sixers knocked off 50 runs in four overs, leaving the Thunder in a whole heap of trouble.

Babar was also amongst the runs and complemented Smith well, ensuring that the pair did not soak up too many dot deliveries. Once the powerplay was done, the duo lowered their tempo just a wee bit but continued to find the odd boundary at will. By the halfway stage, the Sixers comfortably cruised their way to 107/0, with Smith getting to his fifty in only 23 balls. But all hell broke loose in the surge. Smith went all guns blazing as he put on an unbelievable show, clobbering 4 consecutive sixes on the bounce against Hadley. That over turned out to be the most expensive over in the history of BBL. Babar (47 off 39) picked up his pace as the innings went on but agonizingly fell three short of his third BBL fifty of this season.

By the end of the surge, the Thunder were effectively out of the game, as the Sixers only needed to go at a run-a-ball. Smith kept punishing the bowlers, adding to Thunder’s misery, and eventually notched up his third BBL century in just 41 balls. In an effort to wrap up the run chase quickly, the Sixers lost a few wickets towards the end, but Edwards and Shaw ensured there were no further hiccups. In what turned out to be a tough night for the Thunder bowlers, McAndrew showed character with the ball, finishing with the best figures of 2-34, while Hadley received a terrible beating off his own bowling, conceding a whopping 48 in just 2.2 overs.

17.2 Ryan Hadley to Jack Edwards, SIX! THUMPING WIN FOR THE SYDNEY SIXERS! Sixers keep their playoffs hopes alive, will take on Brisbane Heat on Sunday to play the virtual eliminator. Back of a length on the off-stump, picked it up and powered it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum.

17.1 Ryan Hadley to Jack Edwards, short outside the off-stump, didn't bounce much. Edwards misses the pull, past the bottom edge to the keeper.

16.6 Nic Maddinson to Lachlan Shaw, FOUR MORE! Sixers inches closer to that victory now. Short on middle and leg, Shaw gets inside the line, swipes it behind square and that races away.

16.4 Nic Maddinson to Jack Edwards, SIX! BAM! That will calm some nerves in the dug out. Drops it short on the stumps, Edwards rocks back and pounded it way over deep mid-wicket for a maximum.

15.6 Aidan O’Connor to Jack Edwards, good length outside the off-stump. Edwards drives and Sangha makes a diving stop at extra-cover and keeps them for one.

15.5 Aidan O’Connor to Jack Edwards, back of a length, wide of off-stump. Edwards has a loose waft at it, beats the outside edge. Billings thinks he's heard something, Warner takes the review in the nick of time.

UltraEdge comes up, shows no spike as the ball passes the bat. Thunder lose a review with that.