Smith fails to fire as Sixers post 8-151

Justin Chadwick | January 28, 2023

Steve Smith has failed to make the most of a golden reprieve but Moises Henriques was able to cash in as the Sydney Sixers posted 8-151 in ‘The Qualifier’ clash with the Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium.

Scorchers allrounder Aaron Hardie dropped a simple chance at mid-off when Smith was on just 12 in Saturday’s blockbuster between the top two BBL sides.

Smith entered the match having blasted scores of 36, 101, 125no and 66 in his past four innings, and Hardie would have been fearful his dropped catch would cost the Scorchers dearly.

But English paceman David Payne, who was almost ruled out due to illness, sent Smith packing for 18 with a spectacular diving catch off his own bowling.

However, another Scorchers blunder in the field did come back to haunt them.

This time AJ Tye was the culprit, with the cult hero dropping a simple chance at backward point when Henriques was on 18.

Henriques went on to make 58 off 43 balls, combining well with Jordan Silk (47no off 34 balls) to help the Sixers recover from a shaky start and reach a respectable total.

Payne finished with figures of 3-33 from his four overs, including the key scalps of Smith and Henriques. 

He also removed Hayden Kerr for a golden duck after snaring another sharp return catch.

Jason Behrendorff finished with 2-17 from his four overs in a standout display with the ball. .

Hardie’s afternoon started out in fantastic fashion, with the leaping 24-year-old pulling off a spectacular one-handed effort above his head to dismiss Kurtis Patterson for six.

The dazzling catch helped Behrendorff produce figures of 2-5 from his first two overs as the Sixers limped to 2-15.

Smith was starved of the strike early, facing just three of the first 21 balls as Behrendorff weaved his magic.

The former Test skipper threw his head back in disgust when his mistimed shot sailed straight to Hardie – only for the fielder to put down the sitter.

But Smith’s luck was short lived, with Payne diving to his right to take a spectacular return catch.

Under normal circumstances, Payne would have been mobbed by his Scorchers teammates due to the significance of the wicket and the dazzling nature of the catch.

But with Payne battling sickness and quarantined from the rest of the group before the match, the congratulations were restricted to an elbow-to-elbow touch.

The winner of Saturday’s match will host the grand final on February 4, with the loser to face off against either the Melbourne Renegades or Brisbane Heat in ‘The Challenger’ on Thursday.