Sixers have ‘made their own bed’ with early losses but their BBL|15 campaign remains on track
The Sydney Sixers’ season is not yet entering do-or-die territory, says spinner Ben Manenti, who insists the perennial heavyweights remain “pretty calm” despite their slow start to the BBL.
The Sixers have only once started a summer worse through four games than this year, with a 47-run defeat of rivals the Sydney Thunder their only win to date.
Star recruit Babar Azam has only cracked double digits once in four knocks, while the Sixers had to contend without gun pace bowler Sean Abbott until he returned from a hamstring injury for their last start.
Among the losses, the Sixers fell in a rain-affected opener against Perth, took the Adelaide Strikers down to the wire and then could not contain centurion Sam Harper in a loss to the ladder-leading Melbourne Stars.
“(It’s) obviously not an ideal start,” Manenti told AAP.
“You don’t want to be pinned up too much against the wall this early in the comp, but we’ve sort of made our own bed a little bit.”
The Sixers’ net run rate remains in the black and only the Stars are undefeated after two weeks of the competition, which appears wide open as the new year approaches.
But the Sixers’ next three games, all away from Sydney, will be season-defining; lose all three and they cannot finish with a 50 per cent winning record.
Manenti felt it was “very important” to score a win against the Melbourne Renegades in the summer’s first game at Marvel Stadium on New Year’s Day.
But he did not believe the season was reaching do-or-die territory yet.
“Historically, five (wins) usually gets you into finals, so not necessarily,” he said.
“But obviously you want to do more work up the front so you can not be put in that position come the last few rounds where you have to win them all.
“You win your next three games and all of a sudden you’re four from seven and you’re right back in and amongst it and probably up the top end (of the ladder).”
Manenti insisted the Sixers, who have played finals the past six summers, had the experience on deck to right the ship.
“We sort of know it’s not always going to look the same, it’s not always going to be five from five heading into the new year. We’re all pretty calm,” Manenti said.
