Steve Smith makes 27-ball 36 on BBL return

Despite Stephen Eskinazi’s 54-ball unbeaten 66, Perth Scorchers slipped to a narrow six-run loss against Sydney Sixers at the SCG. In the last two overs, Scorchers needed 23 off 12 balls. At that stage, Andrew Tye bagged the scalps of Ashton Agar and Daniel Christian. Hayden Kerr then defended 16 in the last over.

Earlier, Josh Philippe had turned out to be the bedrock of Sixers’ batting effort with a 48-ball 54. Steve Smith also made his presence felt with a 27-ball 36, as he forged a stand of 52 with Philippe. Kurtis Patterson’s 16-ball 23 was the next highest score of the innings.