Left-hander Daniel Hughes has replaced Babar Azam as the Sixers take on an unchanged Hurricanes at the SCG
Sydney Sixers have recalled veteran Daniel Hughes to replace Babar Azam as they battle it out with Hobart Hurricanes for a spot in the KFC BBL|15 Final.
Pakistan star Babar departed Australia overnight after being summoned back to his homeland ahead of next week’s T20 international series against Australia. It will be Hughes’ 100th match for the Sixers.
It’s the only change for the Sixers for tonight’s Challenger final, who are batting first at the SCG after being inserted by stand-in Hurricanes captain Ben McDermott.
Australian quick Mitchell Starc has also been named for the Sixers after brushing off a heavy landing on his left shoulder in their loss to Perth on Tuesday.
Sixers XI: Steve Smith, Daniel Hughes, Josh Philippe (wk), Moises Henriques (c), Lachlan Shaw, Jack Edwards, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Ben Manenti, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc
Hurricanes XI: Mitchell Owen, Tim Ward, Beau Webster, Ben McDermott (c), Nikhil Chaudhary, Matthew Wade (wk), Chris Jordan, Will Prestwidge, Rishad Hossain, Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake
McDermott is again filling in for skipper Nathan Ellis who was this afternoon ruled out of the rest of the finals series due to hamstring tightness.
The visiting Hurricanes have named an unchanged XI from their thrilling rain-marred win over Melbourne Stars on Wednesday with Ellis also missing that match.
He was hopeful of suiting up for the do-or-die clash in Sydney after being picked in the Hurricanes squad yesterday but has failed to recover in time. Cricket Australia said the injury was not expected to have an impact on the 31-year-old’s T20 World Cup campaign, of which Ellis looms a key part of the bowling attack.
“Hobart Hurricanes can confirm that skipper Nathan Ellis will miss the remainder of the BBL season and the BBL|15 finals due to hamstring tightness,” the club said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“Ellis, who missed the Knockout on Wednesday night, was aiming to return for the final two matches of the BBL|15 finals but was unfortunately unable to overcome the injury.”
But in a boost for Hobart, English allrounder Chris Jordan was spotted marking out his run-up after playing their last match solely as a batter due to an ankle issue.
The winner of tonight’s Challenger will progress to face the Scorchers in the BBL|15 decider at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
BBL|15 finals schedule
Qualifier: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 48 runs
Knockout: Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Stars by three runs (DLS method)
Challenger: Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes, SCG (Friday, January 23, 7.15pm AEDT)
Final: Perth Scorchers v winner of Challenger, Optus Stadium (Sunday, January 25, 7.15pm AEDT)
*A reserve day on Monday, January 26 (7.15pm AEDT) is available for the Final
KFC BBL|15 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1
SCO
10
7
3
0
0
1.363
0
14
2
SIX
10
6
3
0
1
0.605
0
13
3
HUR
10
6
3
0
1
0.331
0
13
4
STA
10
6
4
0
0
0.759
0
12
5
HEA
10
5
5
0
0
-0.431
0
10
6
STR
10
4
6
0
0
-0.231
0
8
7
REN
10
3
7
0
0
-1.202
0
6
8
THU
10
2
8
0
0
-1.212
0
4
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
