Alex Hales smashes ton as the Sydney Thunder record highest total in BBL history

Alex Hales scored his fourth century in T20 cricket as the Sydney Thunder made BBL history on Friday evening against the Sydney Sixers. The Sydney Thunder finished with a score of 5/232, the highest-ever team total in BBL history, as they cruised to a 46-run win over their local rivals at the Adelaide Oval.

The win helped the Sydney Thunder end a run of three defeats in a row as they bolstered their hopes of making the play-offs. The side can thank England opener Alex Hales for the victory.

Hales smashed an incredible century, blasting the Sydney Sixers bowlers to all corners of the park. He reached his ton off just 51 deliveries, hitting eight sixes and nine fours. Hales was helped by impressive contributions from England team-mate Sam Billings, captain Callum Ferguson and all-rounder Ben Cutting, as the Thunder roared their way back into the top three in the BBL.

All six bowlers used by the Sydney Sixers went for at least 9.50 runs an over and the Men in Pink stood no chance against the six-hitting barrage of the Sydney Thunder.

The defending BBL champions did not come close to the mammoth target set for them. They finished on 186/5, with Moises Henriques scoring a half-century on his return from duty with the national team.

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The Sydney Sixers are still well placed in the BBL standings

The Sydney Thunder scored a BBL record 232/5 against rivals Sixers.

Despite suffering a crushing defeat to their arch-rivals, the Sixers still hold a four-point lead over the Perth Scorchers at the top of the BBL standings. The Sixers currently have 32 points and have already qualified for the play-offs, with two games to go.

The Sydney Thunder now have 27 points, four more than the sixth-placed Hobart Hurricanes.

With every team still having two games to play in the group stage, the BBL play-offs race is set to go down to the wire. The only team not in contention at the moment is the Melbourne Renegades.