Sydney Sixers held their nerve in a gripping low-scoring contest at Coffs Harbour, chasing down 115 to beat Brisbane Heat by three wickets and climb to fourth on the BBL ladder. What looked a routine chase turned chaotic when the Heat ripped through the Sixers’ top order, reducing them to 56 for 7 and flirting with the lowest ever successful defence in league history.
But 22-year-old Joel Davies produced a Player-of-the-Match performance to remember, backing up his two wickets with a calm unbeaten 35 in a match-winning 62-run stand alongside Hayden Kerr. The pair absorbed the pressure, turned down the panic, and slowly dragged the Sixers back into control before Kerr sealed it in style with a towering six with eight balls to spare.
Earlier, Davies, Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis each collected two wickets as the Heat spluttered to 114 for 9. Only Jack Wildermuth provided meaningful resistance with a brisk 31, while Abbott marked his 200th T20 appearance by extending his lead as the BBL’s all-time top wicket-taker. Brisbane’s struggles were summed up by the fact that their second-highest partnership was an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 23.
The chase unravelled spectacularly when Heat rookie Oli Patterson dismissed Babar Azam and Josh Philippe in successive deliveries, before Matt Kuhnemann also picked up two in two to leave the Sixers reeling. Captain Moses Henriques briefly counter-punched, but when he holed out for 26, the momentum swung firmly Brisbane’s way.
Instead, Davies and Kerr showed maturity beyond their years, batting with clarity while the game frayed all around them. The Sixers now sit level on six points with the Heat but boast a stronger net run rate and a game in hand, while Brisbane’s win-at-home, lose-away pattern continues. And on a night full of jitters, it was Davies’ composure that made all the difference.
