MS vs SS

Well, that will be it from all of us here at Sportskeeda. Our live coverage ends here, but we have some exciting fixtures coming up this weekend. The fourth edition of the WPL starts tomorrow, followed by India’s white-ball series against New Zealand on Sunday.  All in all, some intense cricketing action is around the corner, so be sure to keep checking out our platform regularly. For now, this is Datrim signing off on behalf of Pradeep. Take care, and I hope to see you again in the near future. Cheers! 

Joel Davies is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: "(On the importance of the win) Absolutely massive. Going back-to-back and knocking off the top-seeded Stars makes it even sweeter. It was a huge game for us and, with the middle of the ladder so congested, this result really pushes us ahead. It was a great night for the club. (On his bowling performance) I was a bit surprised, to be honest. I thought Dwarsch probably deserved the four-for, but I’ll happily take it — and those two wickets at the end certainly helped. (On his development as a bowler) I’ve been very fortunate to work with the GOAT, Steve O'Keefe for a long time. Trying to fill the void he’s left is a big ask, but I’ve been getting more opportunities since he moved on. It’s been awesome being out there with the boys every game and getting the chance to bowl more. (On confidence and returning senior players) I might be out of the team to be honest — but it’s going to be a star-studded lineup. Getting players like Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc back, and Todd Murphy returning, brings huge confidence to the group. There will be some tough selection calls for Chippy, but having those guys around is unreal. Fingers crossed we get Starkey back at some point too. (On batting vs bowling preference) Batting is probably more fun for me. I don’t enjoy getting hit for sixes, but I do enjoy hitting them. Taking wickets is satisfying, no doubt, but if I had to choose, I’d say batting. (On receiving Player of the Match) It’s been great to contribute in both disciplines so far this tournament. Hopefully there’s plenty more to come — thanks very much."

10:20 PM Local Time (4:50 PM IST): Sydney Sixers have won by 6 wickets

Josh Philippe - 35 (25) | Ben Dwarshuis 4/13
Marcus Stoinis - 33 (35) | Marcus Stoinis 2/20

Comfortable win for the Sydney Sixers!! They comfortably wrap up the run chase with 6 wickets and 17 balls to spare!! Early on in their run chase, the Sixers raised some eyebrows when Moses Henriques decided to promote himself up the order. He opened the batting with Babar (14 off 17) and went hard right from the onset. He took some risks early on and got away with a few mistimed shots. Babar, as usual, took his own little time to get his innings off the ground. The Pakistani batting stalwart knocked the ball around and ensured that the Sixers didn't fall behind the asking rate. But Henriques’ luck soon ran out when he faced up against Peter Siddle, who dismissed him with his very first ball of the spell.

Following the departure of their skipper, the Sixers struggled to switch through the gears. Rauf and Siddle cranked it up at lightning pace and bowled tight lines to make the Sixers work hard for their runs. But Babar and Philippe dug in and stitched a partnership of sorts to keep the Sixers in the hunt. However, Babar’s short-lived innings was put to a swift end by Stoinis in his very first over. Nevertheless, Philippe carried on his merry way and ended up making a valuable contribution of 35 (25) to give the Sixers some stability during the middle phase.

While Stoinis slipped through some quiet overs, wickets were hard to come by. Sam Curran and Philippe settled into a nice partnership to help the Sixers weather the storm. The duo added a labored 27-run stand for the third wicket. Eventually, the Stars did get an opening once the partnership was broken by Rauf just before drinks. Stoinis kept it very tight as well and maintained a stranglehold with figures of 2/21, not allowing the Sixers to run away with the game. But as fate would have it, the target proved insufficient for the Stars. Shaw and Silk batted sensibly and put on an unbeaten 40-run stand to comfortably get the Sixers over the line with 17 balls to spare. 

17.1 Peter Siddle to Jordan Silk, THAT'S IT! SIXERS MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW! Melbourne Stars have stumbled on to their third straight loss here. Has been a comprehensive win for the Sixers. Back of a length outside the off-stump, Silk cuts it past point and they get back for the brace as they seal the game.

16.4 Marcus Stoinis to Lachlan Shaw, FOUR! Pace off, but the direction was wrong. Full and down the leg-side. Shaw sits on one knee, sweeps it wide of the man at fine-leg, that's another boundary.

16.2 Marcus Stoinis to Lachlan Shaw, slower one, back of a length into the batter. Shaw down the wicket, has a massive swipe and misses, off the pad to fine-leg for a leg-bye.

16.1 Marcus Stoinis to Lachlan Shaw, SIX! Stupendous strike from Shaw, what a start to the Power Surge. Back of a length, angling into the hips. Shaw nonchalantly flicked it all the way over long-leg boundary for a maximum.

15.5 Mitchell Swepson to Lachlan Shaw, another drag down and Swepson gets away with it. Shaw swings and mistimed it to long-on and they hare back for a couple.

15.4 Mitchell Swepson to Lachlan Shaw, FOUR! Drag down from Swepson and gets punished. Shaw hangs back and slams it straight down the ground for a much needed boundary.