Englishman Alex Hales’s brutal century has inspired Sydney Thunder to a record BBL total and a 46-run win over ladder-leaders Sydney Sixers.
The Thunder posted 5-232 with Hales smacking eight sixes and nine fours in a stunning 110 from 56 balls at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
The Sixers fell well short in reply, managing 5-186, but still hold a four-point buffer from second-placed Perth Scorchers.
The Thunder’s total surpassed the BBL’s previous highest innings — the Hobart Hurricanes’ 8-223 in January 2017.
And the victory, which includes a bonus point, lifts the Thunder from fifth to third spot, with two games remaining before the finals.
The Thunder (27 points) jump the Melbourne Stars (fourth, 24 points) and Adelaide Strikers (fifth, 24 points) while the Hobart Hurricanes (sixth, 23 points) remain in the finals hunt.
Opener Hales, who remains on the outer with England’s limited overs side after he failed a drug test in the lead up to the 2019 50-over World Cup, registered his maiden BBL ton from just 51 balls.
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“That is up there, for sure,” Hales said when asked if he’d ever hit the ball better.
“When you get in at this place, it’s such a good place to bat — great value for good shots, a fast outfield and smallish square boundaries.
Hales’s assault was supported by brisk cameos from captain Callum Ferguson (42 from 23 balls), Sam Billings (33 from 21) and Ben Cutting (33 from 14).
The Sixers’ daunting run chase started with a dash from openers James Vince and Josh Philippe, who took 40 runs from the initial four overs.
But Philippe (20 from 11 balls) was run out from the first ball of the fifth over, triggering a slide of 3-8 in 13 deliveries.
His teammate Daniel Hughes (one) was bowled second-ball by Cutting, who in the next over took a smart low catch in the outfield to remove the threatening Vince, whose 38 from 23 balls included seven fours.
The trio of wickets left the Sixers 3-62 in the seventh over and a successful chase was beyond them, despite the efforts of Moises Henriques (56 from 35 balls) and Jordan Silk (42 from 30).
The Thunder might have compiled the biggest BBL score, but they had some way to go when it comes to the record T20 tally.
The highest ever men’s T20 total was 3-278, when Afghanistan brutalised Ireland at Dehradun in 2019.
The biggest domestic T20 score came when Trinidad and Tobago Riders scored 2-267 against the Jamaica Tallawahs in Kingston during the 2019 Caribbean Premier League.
AAP/ABC
