BBL 2019-20 | Sixers vs Scorchers Evaluation Chart - Josh Philippe and bowlers take Sydney Sixers home
Sixers opener Josh Philippe and the bowlers ensured that Sydney Sixers got off to the best of starts, following victory from their neighbour Thunder in their opener earlier in the season. Philippe's 81 off 44 balls took the Sixers home and further was declared as the man of the match.
Match Review
The match followed up the pace from the opening game of the Big Bash League, with a slow start from Perth Scorchers. The Scorchers never looked like getting to the pace of the wicket, as they tried to slog every other delivery to the boundary in a plan which was in shambles. After being reduced to 29/4, the away side could never get back into the game despite the partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Cameroon Green. After the duo got out at 98/6, the Scorchers were left to require a cameo from Fawad Ahmed in the 20th over to get to a below-par total of 131 after 20 overs.
Chasing 132 was always going to be an easy target for the Sixers, whose top order is exceptional in the league. Josh Philippe and Daniel Hughes put on a show for the home side, as they notched up 73 runs for the first wicket. Further, Philippe continued to butcher the Scorchers in the middle overs as he put up a batting-masterclass in the second innings. Alongside James Vince and Moises Henriques, Phillipe took the Sixers home with five overs to spare in a rather easy game for the home side.
Turning Point
Ashton Turner’s dismissal was indeed a turning point (no pun intended) for the Scorchers. In the 6th over of the innings for the tourists, the right-handed Turner hit a ball across to the deep and sprinted across for a second. However, the second never existed and taking on Dwarshuis arm in the deep turned out to be a nightmare for Turner. Following his wicket, the Scorchers were reduced to 29/4 and were arms and legs away from getting to a good total.
Highs and Lows
The highs undoubtedly are the knock from Josh Philippe on a dull and dry night in Sydney. After the first innings fell flat on 131, the Sixers had a meagre target that they had to chase to put a W next to their name. Who better than the right-handed Philippe to give the Sixers side a headstart in the chase, as he butchered the spinners for 70 runs in the middle overs.
Cameron Bancroft’s dismissal probably was one of the lows in the first innings. The right-handed Australian came down the track and was outfoxed by the veteran spinner Steve O’ Keefe. O’Keefe bowled the ball outside Bancroft’s vision down the leg side, as the opener walked down to hit the ball straight down the ground. 1 out of 2 balls from your premier batsman is a definite low for the Scorchers.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation: - PS (4/10), SS (8/10)
After being put to bat, Perth Scorchers got off the worst of starts in the powerplay at 29/4 in just the sixth over of the innings. Josh Inglis was the only shining light in the otherwise dark-tunnelled powerplay for the Scorchers. At the end of the six overs, the Scorchers scored 31 and lost four wickets despite boasting a heavy-top order with the bat. Turner was the last one to get back to the dressing room in the first six when he took on the left-arm seamer’s Dwarshuis arm for a quick double instead of getting run-out for 1.
Unlike the Scorchers, the Sixers lived up to their name as Josh Philippe and Daniel Hughes snuck into the away bowlers. They combined the sixers alongside reasonable strokes down the ground to get the home side off to the best of starts, chasing 132. In the opening six, the Sixers got to 58 without losing any wicket. In particular, Fawad Ahmed was picked apart by the two openers, as 14 runs came off the last over of the powerplay.
Death Bowling: - PS (3/10), SS (7/10)
Wickets kept tumbling, irrespective of the bowlers. Sydney Sixers had the Scorchers in trouble right from the scratch, picking up 4 wickets in the powerplay. Barring the excellence from Fawad Ahmed in the 20th over, the Scorchers were dead for runs. Ahmed’s cameo of 19 from nine balls helped the Scorchers reach 131 at the end of their innings.
By the time Death overs came into play, the Sydney Sixers had already won the game as Josh Philippe turned on the heat against the Scorchers. With the death overs out of play, we can talk about the disastrous bowling in the middle overs as Chris Jordan was the only winning bet in the Scorchers bowling unit. Jordan’s 2/13 was not enough on the day for the away side as they came crashing down by the 15th over.
Ground Fielding and Catching: PS (4/10), SS (6/10)Sydney Sixers were exceptional in the field, with a drop early the only blob in the innings. In the powerplay, the duo of Dwarshuis and Josh Phillipe combined to dismiss the dangerous Ashton Turner. The rest of the catches in the middle over were pretty ordinary and straight-forward which too had to be taken. Sean Abbott too joined the fielding party when he hung on to the skier from Chris Jordan rounding up a safe display in the field.
There wasn’t much that the Scorchers fielding unit could do in the game, with Sixers openers Daniel Hughes and Josh Philippe scoring runs every corner. However, the Scorchers could not maintain that as a massive misfield in the 6th over giving away a boundary. Constantly, through the course of the innings the tourists suffered in the field with misfields which worked against them.
The Showstopper
The showstopper, match winner or just an opener? Name it and Josh Philippe has done it all. On a slow and tricky Sydney pitch, the right-handed opener got off the best of starts, including a monster six over the cover. He could have easily slowed down as the innings progressed, but he did not as Philippe targeted the Scorchers’ spinners in the middle overs to end the game early for the Sixers putting the Scorchers out of their misery early in the night.
81 off just 44 balls, Philippe has arrived at yet another Big Bash League ahead of the IPL Auctions. Was it an IPL audition? If it was, it was worthy of a buyer.
Spectator Rating Meter - Below Average
For most parts in the first innings, the game was a barren self of a Big Bash encounter after a disastrous start by Perth Scorchers. The crowd never gathered and similar to the momentum that the Scorchers picked in the first 20 overs. However, Sixers fans were treated to excellent display both with the bat and the bowl as the side dominated proceedings against the away side.
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments