Brathwaite among wickets as Sixers win third straight

Sydney Sixers’ Carlos Brathwaite … claimed two wickets.
Sydney Sixers’ Carlos Brathwaite … claimed two wickets.

SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – Sydney Sixers were winless in six outings before the arrival of West Indies Twenty20 star, Carlos Brathwaite.

With the all-rounder in their ranks, they have now gone unbeaten in three games and he was among the wickets again yesterday as they trounced Brisbane Heat by nine wickets.

Playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground in their penultimate fixture of the Big Bash League, Sixers routed the Heat for 73 off 16.4 overs with seamer Brathwaite grabbing two for 20 from 2.4 overs.

Fast bowling Sean Abbott led the attack with four for 11 while left-arm spinner Nathan Lyon supported with two for 17.

For Heat, four batsmen reached double figures but none passed 15.

In reply, left-handed opener Daniel Hughes struck 37 from 28 deliveries as Sixers motored to their target off exactly 10 overs.

On Wednesday, in-form Barbadian seamer Jofra Archer starred yet again but his Hobart Hurricanes had their five-game winning streak snapped, with a 11-run defeat to Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval.

Left-handed opener Alex Carey smashed 100 off 56 deliveries to lift the hosts to 187 for four off their 20 overs, adding 171 for the first wicket with Jake Weatherald who made 65.

Archer snared three for 27 from his four overs and accounted for the other wicket to fall when he produced a brilliant direct hit at the non-strikers end off his own bowling in the 18th over, to send back Weatherald.

Off the very next delivery, he bowled Carey with a fast straight yorker and then served up a superb last over which cost just six runs and yielded two wickets, as Hobart reined in the Strikers scoring.

In reply, Hurricanes got 70 from opener Alex Doolan and 45 from Ben McDermott but came up short of their target at 176 for four.