Moises guides the Sixers to the promised land

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Cricket365
January 25, 2017

An exhibition of massive hitting from Sydney Sixers skipper Moises Henriques in the super over helped earn the men in magenta a place in the Big Bash League final.

On a dramatic night at the Gabba it seemed as though the Sixers had let things slip away from them when Johan Botha was caught behind off the bowling of Ben Cutting with just two balls left and four runs needed to win.

The Sixers forced the super over though thanks to a leg bye and a skied shot from Ben Dwarshuis that landed in no man’s land allowing two runs to be scrambled off their final ball.

The Heat were not at their best and their total of 167 for 9 looked short of a par score although it would turn out to be just about on the money as the pressure of chasing got to the Sixers.

Skipper Brendon McCullum’s 46 was the bedrock of the Heat’s innings but despite handy contributions from Jimmy Peirson (19), Joe Burns (20), Marnus Labuschagne (20) and Jack Wildermuth (29) the innings fizzled out in the second ten overs.

Nathan Lyon picked up wickets at critical moments and would end with figures of 4 for 23 while Sean Abbott was again among the wickets taking 4 for 40.

The Sixers looked in charge in their chase and with six overs to go had moved to 129 for 2 needing just 39 to win off 36 balls.

Henriques (64) and Daniel Christian (46) looked like they would cruise to the win but things began to unravel when the latter holed out to mid-off.

In the next over Michael Lumb (2) was stumped off newly called up Test squad member Mitchell Swepson before Henriques departed the over after.

Even then with Botha at the crease the Sixers still would have fancied themselves especially when he dispatched two Wildermuth balls to the boundary in the penultimate over.

Botha was caught out off what appeared to be his bicep leaving the former Proteas skipper fuming but he had to go.

With one ball to go and three needed to win Dwarshuis connected the sweetest mishit of his career as the ball flew high in the air before landing in the vacant midwicket area with the man on the fence unable to complete the catch or prevent two from being run and we would have a super over at last.

The Sixers skipper and master blaster Henriques put all the pressure back on the Heat as he hit Ben Cutting for two sixes and a four in an over that included a no-ball for a second bouncer and went for 22.

McCullum and Cutting were selected to do the business for the Heat but neither could send the ball over the boundary until the third ball of the over and the total of 22 would prove enough for the Sixers to book a place in the final at the WACA against the Perth Scorchers.