Ponting stars as Hobart Hurricanes beat Sydney Sixers by 7 wickets

The typical batting show by Ricky Ponting crippled Sydney Sixers' bowlers and all but broken their hopes of a consecutive Big Bash League title after losing to Hobart Hurricanes at the SCG on Wednesday. Sydney Sixers struggled to find the regularity that had guide them win the Champions League T20 just two months ago and gone down to their fourth successive defeat.

They had few answers for a extensive Ponting who top scored with 63 runs, his 2nd consecutive half-century, as the Hobart Hurricanes hit the winning runs on the second-last ball to win by seven wickets after needing nine runs to win in the last over bowled by Moises Henriques.

The former Australian captain, who did not emerge in a Boxing Day Test for the 1st time since 1998, walked out to a standing ovation and treated the crowd to a trademark pull shot for six to get off the mark and passed 50 in the same way.Sydney Sixers  made three changes to their last start down side, including debutants Kurtis Patterson and Daniel Hughes and were boosted by the return of England international Michael Lumb.

After a concrete start, Sydney Sixers middle order again unsuccessful to fire, losing 5 wickets for just 18 runs  in the later stages of their innings in front of 11,005 crowd before making a spirited 154 for 8. Michael Lumb and captain Brad Haddin were reunited at the top of the batting order moving to 57 before Haddin was bowled backing away from a Michael Hogan ball for 22 runs.

After a slow start where Haddin contributed 21 of the team's first 29 runs, Lumb soon set up his groove moving to 31 before an ill-fated reverse sweep off Xavier Doherty had him joining Haddin just six balls later. Henriques and Steve Smith added 29 earlier than Henriques scooped a catch to George Bailey on 18.

The Sydney Sixers waited for debutant Hughes to hit back-to-back sixes to clear the boundary for the first time in the 16th over. The crafty quick, who played the last of his five one-day internationals in 2009, wreaked havoc taking three wickets in five balls to rocket to the top of the top wicket tally with 10 and finish with 4 for 31.