Tom Curran had an impact with both the bat and ball
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Tom Curran smashed a crucial 35 and took two wickets as the Sydney Sixers beat their crosstown rivals, the Sydney Thunder, in a nail-biting Super Over.
Opting to bat first, the Thunder got off to a solid start as Usman Khawaja and Alex Hales amassed a 48-run partnership before Khawaja was caught by Jackson Bird at cover off the bowling of Sean Abbott for 16.
Hales went on to score a 21-ball 32 before he was dismissed by Curran.
Matthew Gilkes failed to have much of an impact as he was stumped by Josh Philippe off the bowling of Lloyd Pope for two runs.
Captain Callum Ferguson and Alex Ross stabilised the innings with a 55-run partnership before Ross was removed by Curran for 26.
Chris Morris only made one run before he was sent packing by Pope.
The Thunder continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, but Ferguson guided them to 149/8 off their 20 overs with his 42-ball 52, which included three boundaries and a six.
Pope was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Curran and Abbott chipped in with two wickets apiece.
Chasing 150 to win, the Sixers got off to a terrible start as opener Hayden Kerr was clean bowled by Jonathan Cook for a duck on the fifth ball of the innings.
Philippe was trapped lbw off the bowling of Morris soon after, while Daniel Hughes hammered a 25-ball 37 before he was clean bowled by Chris Green.
Jordan Silk was run out by Green for two runs, while Jack Edwards scored 27 before he was sent packing by Morris.
Sixers captain Moises Henriques smashed a 30-ball 41, which included two sixes, before he was dismissed by Daniel Sams.
Q: How big was this six from Moises Henriques?
A: Heaps big.#BBL09 pic.twitter.com/6dn57d5XgP
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 28, 2019
Going into the last over, the Sixers needed 16 runs to win, and Curran nearly got the job done. But, since he was run out going for the second run, which would have led the Sixers to victory, on the final ball of the match, a Super Over was needed to determine the winner.
The final ball that sent this epic Sydney Smash to a Super Over! #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/4Y8OWtlsYU
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 28, 2019
Morris was the most successful bowler with two wickets, while Cook, Green and Sams claimed one wicket each.
In their Super Over, the Sixers scored 17 runs, largely thanks to Henriques.
In response, the Thunder scored 11 runs off the first five ball, which left them needing six runs to win off the last ball.
However, six Hales could only smash the ball for four, the Sixers escaped with a nail-biting win.
Curran was named Man of the Match.