Big Bash League: Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Stars
James Vince may not have reached his century, but he did lead the Sydney Sixers to a Week Six victory over the Melbourne Stars
James Vince lead the Sydney Sixers to a Week Six victoryMarcus Stoinis scored 52 off 28 balls to take the Stars to a competitive 5-173 on MCG Friday night.
But the Sixers topped that score with one ball less, thanks to Vince's unbeaten 91 off 59 deliveries and some late hitting from Jordan Silk.
Silk hit a six off the third ball of Luke Wood's dramatic last over and was then controversially caught from behind before Dan Christian scored the winning run.
The result was the Sixers' ninth straight win over the Stars - a record BBL for one club's dominance over another.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A SUPERB 91* last night by Vinny to claim player of the match! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/oBAEkUXGxm">pic.twitter.com/oBAEkUXGxm</a></p>— Sydney Sixers (@SixersBBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/SixersBBL/status/1611530780769124352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As a result, the Stars (2-6) remain in last place, while the Sixers (5-3) are tied for the top spot after wins with the Scorchers and Thunder.
The Sixers needed 36 off the last three overs as Vince hit two sixes off Trent Boult (1-39).
A further 11 runs were required in the final over, and Vince should have been run out for two off the very first ball, but Stars wicketkeeper Joe Clarke missed his first shot at stumps as the batsman was about to hit his ground.
Silk's towering six (15 for 10) decided the match in the Sixers' favour, but he was adjudged to have nicked Wood's next ball behind and was sent off.
Christian hit his only ball against Wood (1-41) for four, bringing the Sixers to 4-176.
Vince pitched his best innings of the season, scoring nine fours and two sixes, narrowly missing becoming the first player in Sixers history to score a century at BBL.
Stoinis, in his first game since announcing to play in the rival UAE T20 Championship, showed his worth as one of the great entertainers of the BBL.
The Stars' best batsman smashed seven fours and two sixes and played the starring role as the Stars scored 34 runs off Chris Jordan and Hayden Kerr during the powerhouse encounter.
Sean Abbott (3-31), the Sixers' fast player, was the only player to take multiple wickets.
Campbell Kellaway of the Stars lost a fingernail when he took a catch off Daniel Hughes (28) and was dismissed from the game.
Player of the Match: James Vince was named Man of the Match for finishing the game single-handedly and securing victory for his team (91 off 59 balls)
Melbourne Stars squad
Playing - Joe Clarke (wk), Thomas Rogers, Beau Webster, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Hilton Cartwright, Campbell Kellaway, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa (c), Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Luke Wood.
Bench - Brody Couch, Liam Hatcher, Tom O Connell, James Seymour, Clint Hinchliffe
Sydney Sixers squad
Playing - Josh Philippe (wk), James Vince, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques (c), Daniel Christian, Jordan Silk, Todd Murphy, Izharulhaq Naveed, Hayden Kerr, Sean Abbott, and Chris Jordan.
Bench - Ben Dwarshuis, Jackson Bird, Kurtis Patterson, Jack Edwards