Dwarshuis guides Sixers to final-ball victory over Thunder

The Sixers defeated the Thunder in an all-Sydney derby on Saturday evening in the BBL, with Ben Dwarshuis striking the winning runs on the final ball at the Sydney Showground Stadium.

Coming into the match as slight underdogs at Bet365, the Thunder opted to bat first after winning the toss.

Last match’s hero Sam Konstas (0 from 3) was out in the first over, while captain David Warner (17 from 10) fell in the fourth.

Cameron Bancroft (70* from 52), however, combined brilliantly with Oliver Davis (47 from 34) to provide the bulk of the Thunder’s runs, taking his side through to 163/5 from their 20 overs.

In response, the Sydney Sixers found contributions from all of their top five batsmen, but it was bowler Dwarshuis who would win them the match with his efforts.

Josh Philippe (35 from 27) and James Vince (13 from 14) helped the Sixers get off to a strong start.

This was continued by Jack Edwards (28 from 18) and Moises Henriques (17 from 22), before Jordan Silk played a useful innings of 36 not-out from 25 balls.

However, the run rate crept up on the Sixers, meaning that by the time the final over rolled around, 15 runs were required.

That became seven from two as boundaries were hard to come by over the first four balls of the over, setting the stage for Dwarshuis (20 from 8) to become Sydney’s latest hero.

The 30-year-old stepped up to the plate, connecting with a sweet maximum on the penultimate ball of the innings, before guiding the final delivery for a single to hand the Sixers a five-wicket win.

“You play the game to be in those moments,” Dwarshuis said after the match.

“Silk and I were there; we wanted to enjoy it and do our best.

“That was one of our better wins.

“I was mishitting them well into the gaps.

“Just wanted to stay still, watch and react, and trust my hands to get the job done.

“Got a really nice bat, and just trying to swing hard after staying still.

“Nice to connect a few.”

The victory takes the Sixers to top of the BBL table, and shortens their title odds across cricket betting sites to $4.33, ahead of the Perth Scorchers on $4.50.

The Sydney Thunder, meanwhile, sit sixth on the ladder and are on the fifth line of betting to win this year’s BBL, paying $8 at PlayUp.

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