SYS vs HBH: Late blitz from Asif Ali goes in as Sixers open their BBL account

Asif Ali scored a quick-fire 41 off 13 balls [Source: Twitter]

Sydney Sixers gathered their first win of the season as they defeated Hobart Hurricanes by six runs in the 11th match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23.

Philippe's pyrotechnics 

In a game that was shortened to 14 overs per side due to rain, Sydney Sixers' openers Kurtis Patterson and Josh Philippe showered boundaries as the duo flexed their muscles to give their side a flying start.

While James Neesham, Shadab Khan and Patrick Dooley brought Hobart Hurricanes back in the game by taking five wickets in a matter of three overs, Hayden Kerr overcame the challenge with his 20-ball 32 taking the Sixers to 137/6 at the end of their innings.

Asif creates artificial excitement

Chasing 138 runs, the Hurricanes were bulldozed as their innings never picked up the momentum with the wickets going down in heaps.

However, when Asif Ali tonked 22 runs off the last four balls of Hayden Kerr's last over, it did jitter the Sydney camp a bit. 

Nonetheless, Asif's belligerence came too late as Naveen-ul-Haq got the better of him, eventually leading Sydney to a six-run win. 

Brief scores: 

Sydney Sixers - 137/6 (14)

Josh Philippe 43 (21), Kurtis Patterson 38 (25); Patrick Dooley 2-19 (3), Shadad Khan 2-32 (3)

Hobart Hurricanes - 131/7 (14)

Asif Ali 41 (13), Ben McDermott 17 (13); Sean Abbott 2-32 (3), Hayden Kerr 2-36 (3)

Sydney Sixers won by six runs

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