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Brilliant fielding helped the Sydney Sixers to a thrilling two-run Big Bash League victory over the Melbourne Stars at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday night.
Led by some inspired efforts in the field from Brett Lee, man of the match Dwayne Bravo, Nic Maddinson and Ben Rohrer, the Sixers managed to sneak home when Clint McKay could only get a single off the final delivery of the match – when he required a boundary.
With the Stars seemingly in control as they attempted to chase down the Sixers’ total of 166, Lee managed to snare a brilliant outfield catch to remove skipper Cameron White for three – before brilliant runouts from Maddinson and Rohrer removed Adam Voges (31) and David Hussey (42 off 30).
Bravo also thrilled the crowd of 27,590 when he acrobatically saved a six off Luke Wright by diving over the boundary, and flicking the ball back while in mid-air to restrict the shot to just two – runs which became crucial as Lee defended 15 runs off the final over as the Stars finished 8-164.
Earlier, Bravo was the key to the Sixers’ batting hopes, compiling a composed 51 before allrounder Dominic Thornely (29 off 13) and Ben Rohrer (29 off 19) combined for a partnership of 45 off 21 to finish the innings.
The match had been billed as a battle of the veteran leg-spinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, and the wily duo didn’t disappoint.
It was Warne’s first match at the SCG since his final Test match – a victory which secured a 5-0 Ashes whitewash over England in January 2007.
And the occasion of playing at the famous ground clearly got to the 42-year-old.
Warne cut a mysterious figure on the ground, wearing the playing gear of team-mate Rob Quiney.
As Warne explained during commentary, he let his kids play with his gear after last week’s victory over Brisbane Heat and hadn’t been able to locate them since.
It didn’t rattle the champion spinner too much, with Warne again providing television commentary of his four over spell before taking the key wicket of Bravo to finish with 1-27 as the Sixers were restricted to 9-166.
Not to be outdone in the showdown of the aging spinners, MacGill chipped in with 1-36 for the Sixers.
Lee said he wasn’t nervous coming in to bowl the final delivery of the game.
“That’s the reason you play sport isn’t it?” he told reporters after the game.
“When you’ve got 30-odd thousand people … to come down and bowl the last ball when there’s only four runs to win, that’s the reason why you play sport.”
The crafty veteran also praised his side’s fielding, saying it played a huge part in the victory while revealing he lost sight of the ball during his sensational catch to dismiss White.
“It went in the lights (and) I thought it was actually going to go over my head at first (so) I hung back a little bit,” he said.
“But when it came back out of the lights I thought I’d better have a crack at it and I ended up getting it.”
Bravo played down his own brilliance on the boundary rope – but was happy to heap praise on Lee’s heroics.
“It’s good that all the guys will talk about Brett’s catch,” he said.
“That was a match-winning catch. It changed the game.”
The match moves the Sixers into equal first place on two wins alongside the Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder, while the Stars slip to fifth with just one win from three games.
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