Steve Smith goes big again as Sydney Sixers ease out Hobart Hurricanes

Smith, who had posted back-to-back centuries in BBL12 prior to this match, made a rapid 66 to help his team reach a commanding 180 for 7 before they kept a tight grip on the Hurricanes' chase

Sam Morshead | 23/01/2023 at 13:09

Hobart: Sydney Sixers 180-7, Hobart Hurricanes 156-8 - Sydney Sixers won by 24 runs

Scorecard

Steve Smith's remarkable return to the Big Bash continued as Sydney Sixers sank Hobart Hurricanes by 24 runs at the Blundstone Arena.

Smith, who had posted back-to-back centuries in BBL12 prior to this match, made a rapid 66 to help his team reach a commanding 180 for 7 before they kept a tight grip on the Hurricanes' chase.

And the home side ended up well short, as the Sixers bowling attack had too much discipline and guile for the hosts' batsmen.

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^{Steve Smith hit 66 from 33 balls against Hobart Hurricanes [Getty Images]}

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^{Smith has hit 24 Big Bash sixes in four innings this season [Getty Images]}

After being dropped by Riley Meredith in the fifth over, Smith cruised to a 22-ball half-century, taking the Hobart bowling apart. Joel Paris was hammered out of the attack as Smith took 21 from his first over, and despite losing Josh Philippe cheaply, the Sixers were ominously poised at 87 for 1 with a ball remaining of the ninth over.

It seemed inevitable at that point that Smith would become the first man to score three T20 hundreds in successive innings, so it was something of a shock to see him miss a leg stump full toss that struck his front pad and would have gone on to cannon into the stumps.

The extent of the disbelief in the stadium extended to Smith himself, who sent the decision for review and promptly started walking off the pitch before the third umpire's verdict was relayed via the big screen.

Still, by that point plenty of damage had already been done. And when Ben Dwarshuis added a 14-ball 30 at the death, the Hurricanes were left to score at nine per over to secure the win.

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^{Hobart Hurricanes did not get close in the chase [Getty Images]}

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^{Sean Abbott claimed his 150th Big Bash wicket [Getty Images]}

They never got to that rate. Batsmen got in and got out, and struggled against Sydney Sixers' tight lines. Zak Crawley top-scored with 49, but even that innings occupied 45 balls.

Izharulhaq Naveed was particularly miserly in returning figures of 1 for 21 in four overs, while there were two wickets apiece for Jackson Bird, Sean Abbott and Hayden Kerr. Abbott's haul included his 150th BBL wicket; he is the first man to reach the landmark.

Hobart are all but out of the running for a post-season place, and must win their last match and see other results go their way.

The Sixers finish second in the league standings.