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Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers square off on Friday, December 22, at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground, in match 11 of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL).

Under Moises Henriques, the Sixers missed out on playing the finals last season as they were beaten by Brisbane Heat in the Challenger. This season, they have got off to a flying start, with wins in both the games they have played thus far.

The Sixers got the better of the Melbourne Renegades in their first game of the season. In a tight encounter in Sydney, Henriques and Co. won by eight runs after restricting the Renegades to 167/7 while defending 175. Steve Smith scored a fine half-century at the top while Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, and Henriques played crucial knocks. With the ball, Ben Dwarshuis stood out with a three-for.

In the second game, the Sixers defeated Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets, chasing a 136-run target with four balls to spare. Daniel Hughes was awarded Player of the Match after scoring an unbeaten 60 off 50 balls. Earlier in the game, Tom Curran picked up three wickets. However, the English pacer has been sanctioned a four-match ban after allegedly ‘intimidating an umpire’.

As for the Adelaide Strikers, their opening fixture against the Heat turned out to be a dampener as incessant rains didn’t allow play to start. Both teams had to share one point each. In the second game, however, Matthew Short’s men played some excellent cricket as they chased down a 201-run target against Sydney Thunder with six wickets and two balls to spare. The skipper led from the front as he scored a 41-ball 82. D’Arcy Short also played a brilliant knock of 66 off 47 balls before an unbeaten nine-ball 28 from Adam Hose took them home.

Match 11 promises to be an exciting contest between two formidable teams. It’s hard to pick a favourite for this game as there are a plethora of match-winners on both sides.