BBL 2019-20: 'Read somewhere that we were tipped to finish last or second last' says skipper Moises Henriques after winning Big Bash final with Sydney Sixers

Sydney Sixers' skipper Moises Henriques has expressed his delight after leading his side to a victory in the final of Big Bash League 2019-20 against Melbourne Stars by 19 runs on Saturday. The winners of the inaugural edition clinched their second title of the competition in a rain-affected match, which got reduced to 12 overs a side after heavy rainfall in Sydney.

Stars' skipper Glenn Maxwell asked Sixers to bat first, where the latter registered a mammoth total of 116-5 courtesy of a quick-paced innings from Joshua Philippe with 52 runs in just 29 deliveries. In reply, wickets kept tumbling for the Stars as they could only manage to score 97 in 12 overs, thus losing their second-consecutive and third overall BBL final.

Sixers' skipper Moises Henriques depicted his contentment after leading the side towards the trophy and thanked the fans along with the ground staff to make the all-important clash a successful one despite being affected by the rain.

Much better to get out there, do some physical work, to win your trophy. Another entertaining game. Thanks to fans who came out in this weather. Thanks for sticking by. Well done to the ground staff. Well done to the Stars for a fantastic season. Finishing at the top in the league stages is no mean feat.

BBL|01 ➡ BBL|09The @SixersBBL celebrate their second BBL title! pic.twitter.com/2aIVhNcGdf

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) February 8, 2020

Sixers had lost their first encounter against Melbourne Stars after Marcus Stoinis struck the highest score by a batsman in BBL history (147*), which the former lost by 44 runs after failing to chase 219. However, Sixers came back strong and defeated them thrice, including the final to clinch the trophy.

Skipper Henriques expressed how the side 'improved throughout the season' and kept their nerves intact in the lead up to winning the coveted title. Henriques began,

The first one (winning BBL 01) was eight years ago. It feels fantastic. Happy that we got a game tonight. There was so much belief before the start of the season. We improved throughout the season. When we went down to Melbourne, they completely outplayed us. And then, the way we bounced back and have beaten three times in a row. They are a fantastic team, a dangerous team. We held our composure.

Joshua Philippe ended his campaign with 487 runs in 16 matches as the third-best batsman of BBL 2019/20.

Joshua Philippe won the player of the match award for his fifth half-century in the competition. However, the bowlers kept their composure and ended up restricting the Stars, as Nathan Lyon and Steve O' Keefe claimed two wickets in the final. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood bowled an economical spell of 1-18 in his three overs, which paved the team's victory.

Henriques lauded his bowling unit for defending the total and praised them for showing intent throughout the season. The Australian said,

Our bowlers have been fantastic throughout the season. In a game where we lost the toss, they got the job done. We got a pretty good total, but the bowlers were smart. The five bowlers have got a lucky captain. It's a good feeling tonight. The boys did such a fantastic job.

On the back of registering four consecutive wins that included bowling out Melbourne Stars for 99 in the Qualifier, Sydney Sixers had momentum with them and they were confident of clinching the title. Melbourne Stars, who finished at the top of the points table in the group-stage, only managed one win in their last five matches before the summit clash.

Henriques spoke about how the Sixers proved themselves in the entire tournament despite being termed frail ahead of the start of the competition. He asserted,

The group had been written off before the last season for having a young and inexperienced side. Read somewhere that we were tipped to come last or second last. I couldn't believe that as we had such a strong team. To walk away with more wins than losses, and beat these guys (Stars) three out of four, I'm just very happy.