After a tight bowling performance from the Sixers, with Kiwi Nathan McCullum and young Aussie Josh Hazlewood each taking three wickets, the Lions posted just 121 runs.

The home side would have known it was a paltry total to set the on-fire Sixers, but wouldn’t have expected their NSW-based opponents to find it such a doddle.

After a conservative opening few overs from batsmen Michael Lumb and Brad Haddin, the duo unleashed to win the match off just 12.3 overs.

Lumb thrashed the winning runs off quick Dwaine Pretorious, who went for 16 runs off his only three deliveries of the match.

The Sixers win AU$2.5m after out-thinking and out-playing the Lions.

Skipper Haddin won the toss and sent the Saffas in to bat, then shocked them by opening with two spinners – McCullum and Stephen O’Keefe – and they soon slumped to 4 for 9 and despite pulling it together to get over 120, the game was basically the Sixers’ at that point.

“I thought they both (McCullum and O’Keefe) did an outstanding job,” Haddin told the Daily Telegraph. “I thought the Lions were surprised we did that. It allowed us to hold our quicks back and bowl our best bowlers in the last 10 overs, where traditionally the Lions are a good cricket team. Today everything worked for us . . . but that performance tonight was no fluke.”

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