Livingstone’s heroes went in vain as Sixers ’cement held the lead
Sixers Sydney 3 for 164 (Philippe 84, Behrendorff 1-19) beat Scorchers Perth 7 for 163 (Livingstone 67, Christian 2-22, Brathwaite 2-12) with seven wikis
Josh Philippe may have made a trip to New Zealand with the Australian T20 side after putting on another brilliant display with the bat to capture Sydney Sixers in the top spot on the BBL table with a comfortable win over Perth Scorchers.
Philippe, the top runner of the tournament, did a light work on what could have been a difficult run in 164 showcasing his full skill in innings of 84 from 52 balls. He shared a 106-run stance with James Vince who scored an equally classic 52 from just 35 when the Sixers traveled to victory with seven wickets with seven wells.
The Scorchers themselves are not to blame after inviting the Sixers back into the game. At the 10-over mark of the first innings, they were for 1 for 103 after winning the toss and getting a battery first. Liam Livingstone lit up Manuka Oval with a stunning little strike, sending six members into the stands in a 38-ball blistering 67. But they boldly captured the Power Surge in 11th place and Livingstone knocked out his first member to wake up to a dramatic fall. They have lost 6 for 60 in the last 10 pitches with Dan Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, and Jake Ball eliminating the Scorchers mediocre order taking two wickets each.
The Sixers moved nine points clear at the top of the BBL table, while the Scorchers remain in third place thanks to the Bash Boost point.
Staying dangerous
Livingstone was relegated in the first leg of the final against Hobart Hurricanes and forced to pay by half a century. The fifth member was dropped off Steve O’Keefe and forced the Sixers to pay a heavy price. It was a midfield direct opportunity on which Daniel Hughes made a mess.
The Scorchers got just nine runs off the first two goals before Livingstone started away. Jackson Bird’s line and length were disregarded while he clubbed two fours out of six in one over. O’Keefe then suffered the ignorance of surrendering the biggest run this BBL season. Livingstone looted 26 off the baton, including three sixes, two of whom were hit with one hand down the ground, while O’Keefe also delivered wide. The Scorchers took 53 off the powerplay and kept going.
Livingstone lifted his half-century in seventh place off just 29 balls with his fifth six. Even the loss of Jason Roy did not delay him as he cleared the rope for the sixth time. The Scorchers were 1 for 103 after 10 years but surprisingly, Dan Christian put up eighth and 10th and conceded just 10 runs while picking up Roy.
Power tape
The Scorchers immediately took the Power Surge and encouraged a fall as they lost 4 for 18 in four petals. Livingstone blamed himself after he cut the first ball from Jake Ball to midfield, and Ashton Turner went out later. They managed to take just 9 runs from the Surge with Ball and Christian tying them down with some great staff and slower balls. Colin Munro watched his team-mates come and go and fight for fluency against some clever bowling and fell to Carlos Brathwaite for 34 out 32. The Scorchers put just 60 off the 10-pointers around finally and lost six wikis.
Philippe fires
Philippe continued his unique form on a day when Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch suggested he was being closely watched for national duties. He got off the mark by climbing outside the edge past a slope but was not short after that, beating Andrew Tye in the third about taxing three overs in a row. . The chase stopped a goal when Philippe and Vince did not finish four goals after Justin Avendano fell to Jason Behrendorff in the middle of a quick spell from the left. But Tye and Philippe pumped it through a midwicket to take up a very comfortable half-century from 31 balls.
He then stepped on the accelerator and Vince joined him. The pair hit six fours and two sixes in 30 balls without taking the Power Surge. They called the Surge in the 16th over and took Vince’s centenary and half-century standing in the same way over. They could not finish the game themselves. Philippe was hit in the helmet trying to pull a slower ball bouncer off Jhye Richardson and missed his middle stump the next ball trying to squat well. Vince played it all around a leg break from Fawad Ahmed in the next round but Hughes and Christian scored the final 16 runs without error.
Alex Malcolm is a Melbourne-based freelance writer