Asked to bat first, Ben Duckett gave Melbourne Stars a flying start, smashing a boundary and a six off Akeal Hosein’s first over.
However, Jack Edwards quickly swung the momentum in the Sydney Sixers’ favor, dismissing Sam Harper after a brief six-ball stay. Sean Abbott then struck a double blow, removing Duckett on the penultimate ball of the powerplay to leave the Stars reeling at 27/2.
Hayden Kerr and Sean Abbott tightened the grip further, taking out Dan Lawrence and Marcus Stoinis cheaply, leaving the Stars struggling at 64/4 by the halfway point. Beau Webster, watching the wickets fall at the other end, decided to anchor the innings while explosive Glenn Maxwell joined him.
Maxwell’s luck nearly ran out on his second ball, as his heave seemed headed straight for Kurtis Patterson’s hands, but the fielder could only parry it over the boundary.
Maxwell then activated the Power Surge in the 13th over, blasting 33 runs with Webster over the next two overs. Maxwell brought up his half-century off just 26 balls with a six off Ben Dwarshuis, though Webster fell just two runs short of his own half-century, dismissed by Abbott in the 19th over. The Stars finished their innings at 156/6.
In response, tight opening spells from Mark Steketee and Peter Siddle yielded the early breakthrough, with Steketee removing Josh Phillippe for just eight in the final over of the powerplay, leaving the Sixers at 27/1.
James Vince and Kurtis Patterson steadied the ship, finding occasional boundaries and rotating strike. But Patterson was struck plumb in front by Usama Mir in the ninth over, and the required run rate soared above nine per over with seven to go, despite Vince reaching his fifth consecutive half-century against the Stars.
Henriques chose to use the Power Surge in the 14th over, but the move backfired badly. Stoinis dismissed both Vince and Patterson in the space of three deliveries, and Peter Siddle quickly took the wicket of Jordan Silk.
Poor old seagull. You had a good l Iife #BBL14 pic.twitter.com/1QWBT1PaNo
— alex (@aussiealex2013) January 9, 2025
The surge ended with a dismal 11/3. The Sixers couldn’t recover from there, and though Hayden Kerr’s unbeaten 21 off 15 balls was a valiant effort, it wasn’t enough to push his team across the line.