The struggling Sydney Sixers have conceded their second loss within a matter of days as they head towards the highly anticipated 'Sydney Smash' against their rivals, the Sydney Thunder, on Saturday night.
Days after losing to the Perth Scorchers in the opening match of the 2025-26 Big Bash League (BBL) season, the Sixers' woes continued after dramatically falling to the Adelaide Strikers despite coming back into the match in the final hour of the contest.
Batting first, international recruit Babar Azam once again failed to live up to expectations and was only able to notch up nine runs before being caught in the covers.
Considered one of the game's most-watched and most-marketable players in Asia, it was the second time in four days that he couldn't make double digits - he scored two runs against the Scorchers on Sunday.
While Azam failed to fire, the magenta outfit was able to put up a respectable total of 159 on the board primarily due to the efforts of Josh Philippe (46 off 28) and all-rounder Jack Edwards (32 off 21).
But, solid bowling from Luke Wood (3/26) and Jamie Overton (2/22) didn't allow them to bat consistently as wickets kept being taken, especially in the opening few overs.
With less than 160 runs to play, the Sixers managed to remain in the contest until a half-century from Liam Scott (51 off 32) and a short-fire stint from Overton (30 off 20) put the match to bed.
Scorecard
Adelaide Strikers (Liam Scott 51, Jamie Overton 30; Jack Edwards 2/27) def Sydney Sixers (Josh Philippe 46, Jack Edwards 32; Luke Wood 3/26, Jamie Overton 2/22) by three wickets.
