BBL 2016-17 Semi-final 2 Review: Henriques heroics in the super over wins it for the Sydney Sixers

The 2nd Semi-final of the Big Bash League saw it’s fair share of late dramas and actions as the match ended in a dramatic tie before Moises Henriques smashed 22 in the super over to propel the Sydney Sixers to a sensational win. Chasing a competitive 168 to win, the Sydney Sixers was ahead of the scoring rate till the 19th over before Ben Cutting came and bowled an inspired final over to end the match in a tie. Brisbane Heats rode on a fighting 46 by captain McCullum to reach a competitive 167 in their allotted 20 overs. Both Sean Abbott and Nathan Lyon shared 4 wickets each to derail their progress. After losing two early wickets, the Sixers came back strongly and a crucial 99 runs partnership between Daniel Hughes and captain Moises Henriques took them within striking distance of the target. With 6 required of the final over Ben Cutting bowled a series of slower balls and cutters which prevented the visitors from scoring the required 6 runs in the final over. Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques won the toss and opted to bowl in the high voltage match. The hosts got off to a fluent start courtesy openers Brendon McCullum and Jimmy Pearson as the duo struck some delightful boundaries in the first 3 overs before Pearson was dismissed in the penultimate delivery of the 3rd over by Sean Abbott. It was a leg-cutter by Abbott and Pearson failed to read it and managed to top edge it straight to Brad Haddin behind the stumps. Sam Heazlett joined McCullum in the middle but the southpaw couldn’t capitalise on his good form and receded back to the pavilion without bothering the scorers. Nathan Lyon bowled a beautifully flighted delivery and Heazlett was tempted to go over the long-on. He was nowhere to the pitch and ended up missing it altogether. Haddin behind the stumps wiped off the bails with Heazlett way out of the crease. Also read: Twitter Reactions: Brendon McCullum fails to take Heat over the line in the super over McCullum, on the other hand, struck some boundaries but was unable to push on the accelerator due to the loss of two quick wickets. At the end of the powerplay, the hosts reached 40/2 in 6 overs. McCullum came dancing down the track and deposited Jackson Bird for a huge six in the penultimate delivery of the 7th over. He continued to run hard between the wickets and along with Alex Ross, the duo started ticking along the scorecard with singles and doubles. The former Kiwis skipper smashed a huge six of Johan Botha in the 2nd delivery of the 10th over to take the score to 70/2 at the end of 10 overs. After hitting two more boundaries, McCullum was deceived by Nathan Lyon and was caught at mid-wicket while going for a big hit in the 12th over. Joe Burns who joined Heazlett in the middle began in a terrific fashion by hitting a six of Lyon in only his 2nd delivery. Jack Wildermuth added late impetus to the innings by smashing 16 balls 29 to take Brisbane Heats to 167 in their allotted 20 overs. He struck a couple of fours and sixes each en route to his blistering innings. Nathan Lyon was the wrecker-in-chief for the Sixers and finished with impressive figures of 4/23. Chasing 168 to win, the Sixers got off to the worst possible start, losing opener Nic Maddinson in the 5th delivery of the innings. The plan of going with Joe Burns in the first over paid off rich dividends for Henriques as the part-timer castled Maddinson with a straight delivery. The southpaw came dancing down the track and missed it completely which went and disturbed the timbers. Despite the fall of the early wicket, hard-hitter Colin Munro came within his own and struck leg-spinner Samuel Badree for a couple of boundaries in the 2nd over. Now it was the turn of Burns to be at the receiving end of Munro’s onslaught as the southpaw struck two more boundaries in the very next over. Munro couldn’t quite capitalise on his impressive start and was dismissed by Samuel Badree in the final delivery of the 4th over. With the score at 34/2, captain Moises Henriques joined Daniel Hughes in the middle. The duo started batting sensibly and rotated the strike along, hitting some occasional boundaries to ease off the pressure. Henriques went on the rampage from the 10th over as he fetched a hat-trick of boundaries to bring down the calculation. Marnus Labuschange was the next bowler at the receiving end as Henriques struck two sixes and a four in the 12th over to take the Sixers to 110/2 at the end of 12 overs. Given the match situation, the Sixers where the firm favourites to win the match but a late order collapse prevented the visitors from going over the finishing line. After the dismissal of Daniel Hughes in the 15th over, Michael Lumb and Moises Henriques to fell in quick succession to tilt the balance in favour of the Brisbane Heats. Eventually, Ben Cutting bowled a superb final over to finish the match in a tie. With 6 runs needed off the final over, Cutting bowled a series of slower balls which proved vital in keeping the match down to a tie. Despite his terrific effort, the Brisbane Heats eventually lost the match by 8 runs via the super over. Brief Scores Brisbane Heat 167/9 in 20 overs (Brendon McCullum 46, Nathan Lyon 4/23) Sydney Sixers 167/8 in 20 overs (Moises Henriques 64, Mark Steketee 2/21) Match tied (Sydney Sixers won the one-over eliminator) Story of the Super over According to the rules of a super over, the team who batted first in the match gets an opportunity to chase down the target and vice versa. Moises Henriques and Colin Munro came out in the middle to face Ben Cutting in the super over. The over was started off well by Cutting as he conceded only 3 runs in the first two deliveries of the over. But the whole complexion of the match changed from the 3rd delivery. The 3rd ball went for a maximum as Henriques slogged over the mid-wicket region. To the joy of the Sydney Sixers, the next delivery was a no ball followed by a free hit. 12 were scored in the first four deliveries before Henriques pushed it to 22 by hitting a six and a four from the last two deliveries of the super over. Ball 1: Ben Cutting to Colin Munro- byes, 1 run Ball 2: Ben Cutting to Moises Henriques- 2 runs Ball 3: Ben Cutting to Moises Henriques- Six Ball 4: Ben Cutting to Colin Munro- byes, 1 run Ball 5: Ben Cutting to Moises Henriques, SIX Ball 6: Ben Cutting to Moises Henriques, FOUR Chasing a stiff 23 to win the super over, the Brisbane Heats never really got going and apart from a six in the final delivery of the match, they were unable to clear the field. Apart from a blemish in the field by Johan Botha which gifted McCullum 4 runs, there was hardly any room for errors as Sean Abbott bowled in the good areas and used his slower balls and cutters to perfection. The Sydney Sixers eventually won the match by 8 runs in the Super over. Ball 1: Abbott to McCullum, no run Ball 2: Abbott to McCullum, 2 runs Ball 3: Abbott to McCullum, wide Ball 3: Abbott to McCullum, FOUR Ball 4: Abbott to McCullum, 1 run Ball 5: Abbott to Cutting, 1 run Ball 6: Abbott to McCullum, SIX Watch: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers super-over https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV3sIlkygHg

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BBL 2016-17 Semi-final 2 Review: Henriques heroics in the super over wins it for the Sydney Sixers

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