BBL 2020-21, Sydney Sixers v Adelaide Strikers: Who won today's Big Bash League match?

Defending BBL champions, Sydney Sixers squared off against the Adelaide Strikers at the Blundstone Arena, Hobart. The Sixers emerged victorious by 38 runs after the Strikers failed to chase the total of 178 in their designated 20 overs. Experienced all-rounder Dan Christian was the star of the show as he scored 50 of just 16 balls to help the Sixers reach their total of 177/5.

BBL 2020-21: What happened in the first innings of the game?

The Adelaide Strikers won the bat flip and invited the Sixers to bat first. The Sydney-based outfit got off to a timid start as they were 19/1 after four overs. Josh Philippe, who recently played a memorable knock of 95 against the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, was dismissed for just six by Daniel Worrall.

The Sixers didn't manage to get any tempo early on as they scored only 52 runs in their first ten overs. However, they soon got their act together when Dan Christian and captain Daniel Hughes got together at the crease.

In the 15th over, Ashton Agar conceded 25 runs as Christian and Hughes made merry. The duo even took on Rashid Khan, and the Afghanistan international finished with figures of 4-0-34-1 in the end. Christian scored the second-fastest 50 in BBL history and helped the Sixers reach a competitive total of 177, which had looked out of bounds at one point.

The second-fastest 50 in BBL history! @DanChristian54 smoked a 50 off only 15 balls to completely change the game! @BKTtires | #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/rTBTNaRXix

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 20, 2020

BBL 2020-21: How did the Adelaide Strikers perform while chasing 178?

The Adelaide Strikers made a promising start to their chase as they raced to 52 runs in 4.2 overs, without losing any wicket. However, Dan Christian had an impact with the ball as well as he broke the opening partnership of the Strikers by dismissing Phil Salt for 28.

Off-spinner Benjamin Manenti then tightened the screws after going for 13 runs in his first over. Manenti finished with figures of 4-0-23-2 which included the wickets of Jake Weatherald (27) and Matt Renshaw (6).

After a bright start, the Strikers never managed to get going. Coming in at No. 4, captain Alex Carey could only add nine runs before being castled by West Indies international Carlos Brathwaite.

Click here to see BBL leading run scorer.

Where's Popey for the celebration?! Carlos Brathwaite picks up a wicket with his first ball of the evening #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/yuoqAR3GVj

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 20, 2020

After 12 overs, the Strikers were struggling at 82/5. Alex Carey's team was ahead of the Sixers at the 10-over mark during the chase. But they never managed to keep up after they lost their captain Carey and Matt Short in quick succession. The Strikers then huffed and puffed their way to 139/7, and eventually lost the tie by 38 runs.