Big Bash Daily: Josh Philippe powers Sixers to another win as Stars and Renegades prepare for derby

Sydney Sixers continue to fly high at the top of the Big Bash, despite another Perth Scorchers fast start. Catch up on today's action and look forward to tomorrow's with The Cricketer's round-up

bbl16012104

Big Bash Hub: Team guides, interviews, news, live scores

Philippe keeps going

Josh Philippe’s thunderous season with the bat continued as Sydney Sixers romped to yet another Big Bash win.

This time Perth Scorchers were the team to feel the heat as the magenta army continued their merry way towards the knockouts with a seven-wicket win at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. 

Philippe’s 52-ball 84 was the highlight, as Sixers chased down the Scorchers’ 163 for 7 to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

Philippe pulverised the legside, where he picked up 69 of his runs, and put on a partnership in excess of 100 with James Vince - who made 52 from 35 balls - for the second time this season.

The Australian international’s third half-century of the BBL campaign was his second in successive innings, and cements his place at the top of the runscorers’ ladder for 2020/21.

Philippe now has 421 runs from 11 knocks this year.

bbl16012105

Josh Philippe was in the runs for Sydney Sixers once again

Another fast start for Scorchers

Perth’s opening pair of Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy once again pulled out the fireworks early in the game, as the Scorchers threatened to set a formidable total.

Livingstone crashed 67 from 38 balls and Roy added 21, while the duo shared in a first-wicket stand of 76 in the first seven overs.

The platform was wasted by Perth, however, who struggled in the second half of the innings and only managed 60 runs from the final 10 overs.

After failing to pass 22 in his first five outings for the Scorchers since emerging from quarantine in late December, Livingstone has now hit back-to-back half-centuries.

Roy, meanwhile, has clubbed 223 runs from seven innings. Of the players to have scored 200-plus runs in this year’s competition, only Ben McDermott of Hobart Hurricanes and Chris Lynn of Brisbane Heat hold better averages than Roy’s 38.83.

Tye’s trickshot

What is this shot? What do we call it? 

The reverse dab ramp? The shuffle shovel? The backyard flick?

AJ Tye, you’ve blown our tiny minds.

Sixers in charity drive

Sydney Sixers players wore special shirts on Saturday to honour youth cancer patients and survivors, with their names swapped for words of inspiration to raise awareness of the battle these young people face.

Funds raised from the ‘Sixers Can, You Can’ campaign, will go towards providing emergency accommodation for regional youth cancer patients.

You can bid on the shirts by clicking here.

Derby time

Sunday brings with it the Melbourne derby, and the chance for the Renegades to save a little face.

The men in red are having a disastrous season, with just two wins from their 10 matches to date, and are all but out of the running for the knockout stage of the competition.

Contrastingly, their cross-town cousins, the Stars, are well in the mix for the post-season, as one of four teams on 20 points going into the game.

Just 15,000 fans will be allowed inside the MCG for the game, owing to Victoria’s health restrictions relating to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the first of two consecutive meetings between the two teams - the second of which follows on Wednesday.

Stars will be missing Haris Rauf, with the Pakistani seamer having been called up to his country’s Test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa.

Captain Glenn Maxwell said of Rauf’s departure: “Obviously Haris is going to be a big loss but he gets to play Test cricket for his nation and that's an amazing achievement,” Maxwell said.

“Last year we saw him leave because he was making his Pakistan debut and this year they've gone one step forward and (are) taking him for the red ball as well.

“His rise over the last 18 months has been outstanding.”

Rauf will not take any further part in this year’s Big Bash but his team still have a power-packed squad available to take on the Renegades. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Andre Fletcher - the so-called Spiceman who destroyed Adelaide Strikers with a blistering, 49-ball 89 not out earlier in the week.

Nathan Coulter-Nile had hoped to be earmarked for a return from injury for this fixture but his recovery from a calf problem is not quite complete.

Adam Zampa, who claimed 5 for 17 as Strikers were bowled out for 68 in that fixture, will be hoping to continue a fine vein of form. Zampa now has 17 wickets in the competition, more than anyone other than Mark Steketee and Jhye Richardson.

bbl16012103

Melbourne Stars have lost Haris Rauf to the Pakistan Test squad

Red revenge?

Aaron Finch will move back to the top of the Melbourne Renegades batting order in an effort to punch his team out of trouble.

Finch dropped down to No.4 in the defeat against Brisbane Heat last time out but could only make 13.

The Renegades skipper is in charge of a side on a low ebb, and he admitted this week that his own personal approach might need to change to spark an improvement in form.

"I've been a little bit timid at the crease," he said.

"There's been some times when I've got out being a little bit too defensive minded and not looking to take the ultra-aggressive approach.

"I know when I'm playing my absolute best in T20 cricket that's how I play, so hopefully in these last four games I can bring some of that back.

"It's only an attitude thing so I can change that."

Finch is averaging 17.6 with a strike rate below 120 in nine knocks in this year’s Big Bash, and he is not the only Renegades batsman struggling with a lack of form.

Of the top 30 run-getters in the competition so far, the club is represented by just one player, Shaun Marsh. Contrastingly, Sunday’s opposition have two of the top five in Maxwell and Stoinis.

Comments

SERIES/COMPETITIONS

LOADING

STATS

STAY UP TO DATE Sign up to our newsletter...
SIGN UP

Thank You! Thank you for subscribing!

Edinburgh House, 170 Kennington Lane, London, SE115DP

website@thecricketer.com

Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.