Twitter Reactions: James Vince and a collective bowling effort guide Sydney Sixers to consecutive BBL title wins

A sensational 60-ball 95 from James Vince along with a collective bowling effort led the Sydney Sixers to secure consecutive Big Bash league titles to their name. There were certainly some unknowns for both sides, given that this was the first encounter at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the season. Although that barely deterred Vince from pacing his innings and targeting the Scorchers’ bowlers with sheer dominance after being asked to bat.

Vince clarified his intentions early in the innings, as he whacked Kane Richardson for consecutive fours in the second over, straightaway assuming the role of the aggressor in his 28-run stand alongside Josh Philippe. Philippe, however, could not make his ground in what eventually turned out to be a rather chaotic run-out dismissal. Even though Scorchers managed to bag regular wickets of a middle-order guilty of throwing their starts away, Vince acted as the pivot, stitching partnerships with almost every batsman that featured.

Sixers score big courtesy of Vince’s heroics

It was only a change of face after Philippe’s fall as the new man Daniel Hughes continued with the same template that Philippe had resorted to – giving the strike to Vince, who seemed unstoppable. Adding 38 for the third wicket, it was in the 8th over when Hughes decided to take on Richardson, although he could only find the fielder at deep midwicket. Skipper Moises Henriques played a couple of strokes in his 11-ball 18 before picking the man at mid-off off Andrew Tye.

Hitting 10 boundaries and three sixes in his 60-ball rampage, Vince fell just 5 short of his century – to make it successive nineties in the tournament – as he edged one off Fawad Ahmed to Marsh at backward point. Jordan Silk and Daniel Christian, however, ensured that their side did not lose momentum as they picked 25 from the Power Surge, slamming Richardson for 17 in the 18th over.

Christian fell to a debatable decision after a 14-ball 20, as he charged down the track against Munro on a delivery that was clearly above his waist. After he managed to find Munro in the deep, the third umpire eventually showed him the exit, and probably fair, given that he came down a good distance. A couple of fours for Carlos Brathwaite in his short outing of 6 deliveries meant that the Sixers piled up a winnable total of 188/6.

Collective bowling effort thwarts Scorchers

With Jason Roy still unavailable due to his ankle injury, the opening duties, alongside Liam Livingstone, were once again with Cameron Bancroft, who pummeled Sean Abbott for three boundaries and a six in the 19-run third over.

The Scorchers were well in the hunt after the positive start given to them by the openers, however, Jackson Bird rushed in quick and fast to halt their party as he undid Bancroft, who top-edged a short delivery to give a simple chance to James Vince inside the ring. At three, Colin Munro had a forgettable day as he edged Abbott to midwicket soon after the fall of the first wicket to leave his side 56/2.

The Scorchers were yet not out of the game with ample power-hitters in their line up waiting to have a crack. Although, things went awry in the 11th over when Livingstone managed to find deep midwicket off Jackson Bird. Though Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh stayed together to keep the chase on, twin strikes Ben Dwarshuis in the 15th over to remove both of them sucked out everything from the chase.

Aaron Hardie did have a go at the bowlers, as he counterattacked, hitting a couple of sixes, but Dwarshuis struck again, this time with a slower one that Hardie top-edged to Steeve O’Keefe at short third man. Dan Christian had his share too, as he bagged a couple of wickets in the tail, of Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff, wrapping up the Scorchers for 161/9.

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