• Sydney Sixers started BBL 11 with a massive win over Melbourne Stars on Sunday.

  • Josh Philippe was named 'Player of the Match' for his brilliant batting.

BBL11: Twitter erupts as Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques star in Sydney Sixers’ huge win over Melbourne Stars
Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Stars in BBL 11 opener (Image Source: Twitter)

In the opening match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021-22, Sydney Sixers steamrolled Melbourne Stars to open their account in grand style.

Put to bat first, Sixers’ batters took Stars’ bowlers to the cleaners at Syndey Cricket Ground to register their highest-ever score in the history of the fascinating T20 tournament. Sixers’ openers Josh Philippe and James Vince took their side to a flying start, adding 90 runs for the first wicket in 9.4 overs.

Vince was trapped by Glenn Maxwell on 44, but Philippe kept on hitting boundaries and smashed a tremendous half-century. Captain Moises Henriques put up great support as the duo went on to form a splendid 102 runs partnership for the second wicket.

Philippe was clearing out boundaries with ease, and it looked for a moment that he could well reach the three-figure score, but in an attempt to hit a biggie, the wicketkeeper-batter fell in the penultimate over.

Philippe scored a scintillating 83 off 47 balls with the help of eight fours and three sixes. Similarly, Henriques also chipped in with a valuable 76 not out to make sure Sixers reach their highest-ever total in BBL history.

In reply, the Stars’ batting unit fell like a pack of cards as they were bundled out for a mere 61 in 11.1 overs, losing the contest by a huge margin of 152 runs. Only two batters – Peter Nevill (18) and Hilton Cartwright (10) – could able to reach double figures.

For the hosts, Steve OKeefe was the pick of the bowler, taking a four-wicket haul while giving away just 14 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Similarly, Sean Abbott bagged three wickets for 14 in 3 overs.

Largest victory margin in Big Bash League history:

152 runs – Sixers vs Stars, Today*
145 runs – Sixers vs Renegades, Dec 2020
129 runs – Thunder vs Renegades, Dec 2020
112 runs – Stars vs Renegades, Jan 2015
111 runs – Stars vs Thunder, Jan 2021

Here is how Twitter reacted:

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