Sam Harper maintained a 100 per cent record in the Big Bash to score his first domestic T20 century as Melbourne Stars eased past the Sydney Sixers in seven games.
Stars won the toss and their decision to bowl paid off for the first time after restricting the Sixers to a total of 144 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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Tom Curran ended the match with 3-26, with Pakistan opener Babar Azam taking the wicket for just two runs, while evergreen seamer Peter Siddle claimed 3-23.
Daniel Hughes top-scored for the Sixers with a 42-ball 60, but when he was dismissed by Curran, they stumbled from 90-2 at the start of the 12th quarter to a mediocre total.
Stars lost the opener to Sean Abbott but a 54-run fielding between Campbell Kellaway and Harper for the second wicket gave momentum to the chase.
Harper was the main attacker, hitting a half-century off 28 balls and then kept improving.
The 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman reached triple figures for the first time in domestic T20 cricket, surpassing his previous best of 89 balls (50 balls) in 2023 for Melbourne Renegades.
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Left-arm spinner Joel Davies dismissed Kellaway and Jonathan Merlo, both on 14 balls, to take the score to 2-16, but Harper got the Sixers over the line with 15 balls to spare.
Harper scored an unbeaten 110 off 60 balls in the innings with 12 fours and six sixes.
Stars have now won all three games and sit top of the BBL table with six points, while Sixers are fourth.
[BBC]
