Sydney Sixers 172 for 5 (Henriques 53*, Vince 40, Sutherland 2-20) beat Melbourne Renegades 169 for 7 (Seifert 55, Sutherland 36*, Abbott 2-34, Dwarshuis 2-42) by five wickets

Chasing a tricky 170, Sixers wobbled in the middle overs before Henriques took over with an unbeaten 53 from 27 balls as the home team hauled in the target with nine balls to spare.

The result could have been much different had Henriques been run out on 25 but Tom Rogers’ throw from midwicket was wide.

Will Sutherland started his captaincy reign for Renegades with a loss but he produced an outstanding all-round performance with 36 not out and 2 for 20.

Sixers, a BBL powerhouse who lost a home final last season, continued their long-time dominance over Renegades. It was their ninth win from ten games between the teams since 2018 with the other game being a no result.

Edwards’ promotion, Henriques finishes

It appeared a challenging chase on a ground where 150-160 has often proven enough in BBL games over the years.

Edwards made the most of his promotion to No.3 after Dan Hughes injured his arm while attempting a diving catch during Renegades’ innings. His placement was superb as he combined well with Vince in a 62-run partnership.

But he holed out to quick Kane Richardson to fall short of a maiden BBL half-century as Sixers soon fell to 136 for 5 when Hayden Kerr had to retire after an apparent hamstring injury.

Sixers still needed 34 runs off the final four overs, but Henriques wisely took the power surge and he smashed legspinner Adam Zampa for two sixes in the 18th over to effectively ice the game.

Henriques and Ben Dwarshuis were in a rush as they finished the job far easier than had looked possible just moments earlier.

Hassan impresses in BBL debut

He recovered from early punishment and settled to showcase his variety as he mixed up his speed nicely. Hassan dismissed Jordan Silk, so reliable in the middle overs for Sixers, with a 72 kmh delivery as he helped put Renegades in a winning position.

He finished with 1 for 27 from three overs in a performance to build on for Hassan, who plays for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC.

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