Sydney Sixers triumph as Steve Smith scores stunning century

Steve Smith has reiterated his value as an all-format batsman, crushing 121 not-out off 64 balls to help the Sydney Sixers beat the Perth Scorchers by 14 runs and go top of the BBL table.

The veteran had recently gone unsold at the IPL auction, following his snub from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad last year.

However, he showed that when he is in full flight, the former Australian captain can rival the best hitters in the game.

He could not resist a dig at the national selectors afterwards either.

“They’re a bit off me there, aren’t they?” Smith during an on-filed interview later in the match.

“I’m available for selection, but there’s plenty of good batters around the country, isn’t there?

“And I’m getting older.”

The 35-year-old had company from Moises Henriques (46 from 28) for the majority of the Sixers’ innings, after Josh Philippe (9 from 13) and Kurtis Patterson (12 from 11) fell inside the first eight overs.

The two shared a 113-run partnership before Ben Dwarshuis (23 from 7) added some late fireworks to take Sydney through to 3/220.

The Scorchers managed to stay in the game for the majority of their chase, courtesy of a 32-ball 66 by captain Ashton Turner.

Finn Allen (15 from 7) got proceedings off to a strong start, but fell in the fourth over.

When Aaron Hardie was out first ball, Sam Fanning (41 from 29) combined with Turner for a promising partnership, taking the Scorchers through to 2/91.

Two quick wickets stymied Perth’s momentum, and while Matthew Spoors (28 from 17) chipped in with a useful cameo, Sean Abbott’s four wickets helped restrict the visitors to 7/206 from their 20 overs.

The victory takes Sydney back to the top of the Big Bash League table, and shortens their odds at cricket betting sites to $3.10 – level with the Hobart Hurricanes on the first line of betting.

They are all but assured of a top-four finish with just two matches remaining in the regular season, paying $1.20 to make the playoffs at the leading online bookmakers.

Next up, they take on the Adelaide Strikers, where Bet365 has them as a narrow $1.87 favourite to win and confirm their spot in the post-season.

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