Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers Scorecard, BBL 2023-24 Qualifier Highlights: Ben Dwarshuis Shines With Ball As Sixers Advance To Final

The playoffs stage of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24 kickstarted with the high-intensity Qualifier. The top two teams in the points table Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers clashed with each other in the Qualifier of the tournament. The match between the teams took place at the Carrara Oval in Queensland. 

Brisbane Heat won the toss and put Sydney Sixers into bat first. Daniel Hughes and Jack Edwards (16) started off decently but Michael Neser provided his team with a great start and drew the first blood for his team, removing Edwards to jolt Sixers on 19. 

Josh Phillippe, who came to bat at No.3. didn’t get going at all as Spencer Johnson removed him for 5 runs. With Sydney Sixers reeling at 24/2, Hughes (42) along with skipper Moises Henriques led the rescue charge and bailed their team out of trouble. The duo added 94 runs for the third wicket and brought the team back into the game. 

After Hughes got out, Sydney Sixers came under immense pressure and lost wickets in quick succession of time. Skipper Henriques added 59 runs off 50 balls but in an attempt to get quick runs, he lost his wicket. Brisbane Heat picked wickets in a flash and restricted them to a total of 152/8. 

Michael Neser was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with the figures of 3/27. Spencer Johnson was economical as well as he gave away just 14 runs in the 4 overs and also picked 2 wickets. Paul Walter contributed two wickets whereas Xavier Bartlett also bagged one scalp as they helped the team restrict the opposition to a low total. 

Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers Scorecard, Bbl 2023-24 Qualifier Highlights: Sydney Sixers bundle out Brisbane Heat for 113 runs 

In the chase, Sydney Sixers bowlers bowled tough lines and lengths at the start and kept things tight. Brisbane Heat openers Josh Brown and Jimmy Peirson were cautious early on and couldn’t play freely as they would have wanted in the high-pressure game at the Queensland. 

The duo added 36 runs for the opening partnership before Ben Dwarshuis sent Josh Brown packing for 15 runs off 22 balls. After that Peirson (26) tried to get going but couldn’t carry on as Hayden Karr removed him in the 9th over for 49 runs and Brisbane Heat came on the backfoot. 

After both the openers fell, Brisbane Heat wickets fell like a pack of cards. Skipper Nathan McSweeney (11) and in form Matt Renshaw (16) tried to bail the team out of trouble. But they couldn’t carry on and lost their wickets within the span of two overs. Things got worse when Paul Walter bagged a golden duck and they found themselves reeling at 73/5. 

Sydney Sixers bowlers were all over the batters as no one after that got going. Spencer Johnson (11) and Mitchell Sweepson (10*) tried to keep their team in the hunt. But the target was too much for them to chase in the end. Sixers bundled out of the opposition for 113 runs to win by the margin of 39 runs. 

Ben Dwarshuis was the hero with the ball for the Sydney Sixers. He picked five wickets and returned with the figures of 5/21. Apart from him, Jack Edwards and Hayden Karr picked two wickets each whereas Steve O’Keefe bagged one scalp as they helped the team to book a berth in the final. 

Brief Scores

Sydney Sixers: 152/8 (Moises Henriques 59; Michael Neser 3/27)

Brisbane Heat: 113-10 (Jimmy Peirson 26; Ben Dwarshuis 5/21)