Jordan Silk pulls off TWO unbelievable catches in the BBL as the Sixers stay unbeaten in BBL with big win over Heat
Jordan Silk produced not one but two moments of magic on Sunday as the Sixers smashed their way to a dominant eight-wicket victory against the Heat.
Silk, 32, first removed Colin Munro, who had swung a shot wildly out to deep midwicket with the Sixers’ star scrambling to make up ground to catch the shot.
As the ball dropped from the air, the Tasmania batter dived to collect the shot in his hands, producing a sensational to dismiss the captain, Murphy, for nine runs.
But it wasn’t long after that he was called back into the action, pulling off an even more spectacular catch on the other side of the pitch to dismiss Jimmy Peirson for 24.
Again, Silk was forced to dive to make the catch, just getting his hands under the ball, but had initally thought he hadn’t collected the ball.
A television match official review later confirmed that the batsman had legally made the catch, with Silk celebrating with his team-mates.
The victory means that the Sixers are now unbeaten in their opening four matches of the BBL campaign.
Jordan Silk produced a simply sensational catch in the BBL to help the Sixers stay unbeaten
Silk dismissed Jimmy Peirson, just grabbing the ball with his right hand before it hit the floor
With the Gabba a sell-out for the rematch of last year’s final, the 30,122 mostly home fans were kept quiet for most of the Heat innings as the Sixers bowlers turned the screws to restrict the hosts to 9-138.
The Sixers made short work of the chase with opener Josh Philippe (66no) and No.3 Kurtis Patterson (32 off 20 deliveries) severe on the Heat bowlers, who were mostly too short.
Philippe was all class in his 17th BBL half-century and was the rock on which the run chase was built as the Sixers reached their target off the first ball of the 17th over.
Sixers skipper Moises Henriques (29no) became the fourth player in BBL history to score 3000 runs.
Left-armer Ben Dwarshuis (4-32) earlier continued his outstanding form for the Sixers and is now the leading wicket taker in this summer’s BBL with 10 wickets.
Dwarshuis was on a hat-trick in the final over when Matthew Kuhnemann smashed a return catch low and to his right but the ball burst through his outstretched hand.
Heat opener Tom Banton (19 off 12) launched spinner Akeal Hosein for six off the second delivery of the match with an audacious reverse sweep but the Sixers kept the hosts to just 24 runs in the powerplay.
Brisbane skipper Colin Munro is yet to reach double figures in this BBL campaign and was out of sorts again (9 off 17) before Silk’s sensational catch.
Josh Philippe stunned with the bat hitting an unbeaten 66 to spur the Sixers on to their fourth win of the season
It was Silk’s 81st catch in the BBL but his 82nd was from another planet when he sprinted and dived full length to snare the ball in his right hand millimetres from the turf to dismiss Peirson (24), also at midwicket.
Nathan McSweeney (34 off 29) top scored for the Heat but lacked support.
Victory took the Sixers to eight points after four matches, four clear of five other sides including the defending champion Heat, who have now lost two in a row.
The Sixers were far superior in the field where Silk set the bar high and his teammates all lifted.
Brisbane bumbled in the field. Munro and Paul Walter were left looking at each other as the ball bounce between them when Philippe skied a swipe early in his innings.
