BBL, Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers: Steve Smith century guides Sixers to win

Smith has done some special things at his home ground but this was on another level as he smashed an unbeaten 121 off 64 to join Ben McDermott at the top with his third BBL century.

But while McDermott has played 100 BBL matches, this was just the 32nd of Smith’s career having also hit back-to-back tons for Sydney a couple of seasons ago.

The heartbreak of being stranded on 9999 Test runs a week ago seemed like a distant memory as he helped the Sixers post 3/220 when it looked like the Scorchers would restrict them to around 140.

Smith and skipper Moises Henriques (46 off 28) added 113 for the third wicket before the big-hitting Ben Dwarshuis came in and cleared the fence with his first two deliveries and then sent another one sailing into the Members Stand.

But it was Smith who did the bulk of the damage with one of his finest ever knocks on a pitch that seemed tough to bat on before the runs started to flow, with AJ Tye conceding 62 from his four overs.

.

Smith was, seemingly, finally caught in the deep, going for a third six from Jason Behrendorff’s final over, but replays showed Scorchers fielder Nick Hobson touched the rope.

“I couldn’t feel anything on the ropes,” said Hobson, who was mic’d up for Fox Cricket’s exclusive coverage.

The wicket became a six, and he peeled three more runs off the over to take his remarkable innings total to 121 from 64 balls.

The Sixers finished on 3-220, their highest ever total and the most runs conceded by Perth in BBL history.

The Aussie veteran whacked Perth to all parts of the ground, feasting on the 54-metre boundary towards the Bill O’Reilly Stand which was no match for his switch hits and orthodox shots.

Smith spoke glowingly of Cooper Connolly after he was picked in the Test squad for Sri Lanka, but the young gun put down his senior teammate on 31 which proved costly.

Smith brought up his third BBL century off 58 deliveries and then whacked three sixes in the final over, including one that appeared to be an incredible team catch but ended up being one of his seven sixes because there was a foot on the boundary.

The stunning knock sends a strong message to national selectors that he’s far from a spent force despite having only played four T20s for Australia since the start of 2023, while he has attracted no interest from the IPL since he last played in 2021.

TOP OF THE CHARTS

Saturday’s win sees the Sixers move level with the Hurricanes at the top of the BBL ladder, while the Scorchers are now 3-5 and must win their remaining two matches to have any chance of sneaking into the finals.

The visitors got off to a flying start in the chase until Sean Abbott (4-43) was brought into the attack and showed everyone why he’s the leading wicket-taker in tournament history.

The Sixers quick was on a hat-trick in his opening over and then picked up the crucial wicket of Cooper Connolly for 33 just days after both men were included in the squad for Sri Lanka.

Perth looked to be completely out of it before Ashton Turner gave them a glimmer of hope with 23 required off the final over, but they fell 14 runs short with the skipper unbeaten on 66 off 32.

SMASHING CROWD

More Coverage

Five years on, who are the BBL’s power surge dominators?

Tim Michell

BBL run home: Could Stars really make finals after 0-5 start?

Tim Michell

Crowds and TV ratings have been through the roof this season, with 31,165 fans rocking up to the SCG on Saturday afternoon after morning showers cleared.

Friday night’s Sydney Smash against the Thunder will be the hottest ticket in town with a sell-out expected for a game that could have major finals implications.

.