Final stages of Australia’s Big Bash likely to drive demand for ICC T20 World Cup Tickets
While the tournament has had to battle on against a constant backdrop of smoke pollution drifting in unnatural clouds across their great country accompanied by hideously high temperatures, combining to cause respiratory distress, dehydration and blurred vision; the cricket has been simply brilliant in spite of everything.
Here we are in the final stages of a T20 tournament that could well have been abandoned had the scale of this tragic natural disaster got completely out of control, which indeed it did in parts of this amazing land. Nature playing a positive hand in this instance with a favourable change in the weather.
And so it was down to a collective bowling effort led by Sean Abbott, whose three-wicket haul helped march the Sydney Sixers into the final of the Big Bash League, as they defeated Melbourne Stars by 43 runs in the Qualifier at MCG.
Batting first, Sydney accumulated an average 142 for 7 in 20 overs with Josh Philippe top-scoring on 34 which was a decent but still chaseable total.
Put in to bat, Sydney’s batsmen struggled to make a big scores. Nonetheless they managed with relatively modest contributions to keep the score ticking over. An opening stand of 47 showed promise, then ever prolific Steve Smith hammered 24 off 18. However, Melbourne’s Adam Zampa snapped up 3 for 21 in the middle overs to keep the brakes on the Sydney innings. While the Sixers reached 98 for 3 in the 13th over they were unable to break the chains and cut loose with a barnstorming finish.
However, the Melbourne side found themselves under pressure at the crease throughout, as Sydney kept them on a tight and frequently artful rein, they appeared almost bewildered as they were bowled out for just 99 in 18 overs. The Stars were seeing stars as their batting collapsed with only three of them scoring double digits. This included, captain Glenn Maxwell’s 16 off 19 and their top scorer Clint Hinchliffe with a run-a-ball 25 not out batting at number 8. Abbott captured 3 smart wickets for 23, while team mates Steve O’Keefe and Josh Hazlewood picked up 2 wickets apiece for 22 and 14 respectively, with all of Sydney’s bowlers achieving economy rates under six.
Melbourne are now set to play the winner of Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder in the Challenger on February 6.
The final will be held at the SCG on February 8.
If the Big Bash League has ignited the desire to acquire ICC T20 World Cup Tickets in you too then please don’t hesitate to get started, it would be rude not to….Expat Sport, not just a cricket news provider.
