Match overview
Adelaide Strikers beat Sydney Sixers by 3 wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 17 December 2025, chasing a target of 160 in a match that stayed tight throughout. Sydney posted 159/9 batting first, a total that looked competitive given conditions on the day. Adelaide's reply of 160/7 was measured rather than commanding: they matched the Sixers almost run-for-run through the powerplay and middle phases before pulling clear in the death overs. J Overton earned the Player of the Match award. The result leaves the Sixers with a difficult run of form to manage, having now lost four of their last five completed BBL fixtures in 2025.
Both sides lost exactly 2 wickets in the powerplay and scored 49 runs in that phase, producing an unusually symmetrical opening to the chase. The contest was decided in the final overs, where Adelaide lost only 1 wicket scoring 37 compared to the Sixers' 3 wickets for 35 in the equivalent phase of their innings.
Venue and conditions
The Sydney Cricket Ground is one of the busiest T20 venues in Australia, hosting 162 matches in this format. Its average first-innings T20 score is 224, and the average second-innings score is 199. Both sides on 17 December came in well below those benchmarks, indicating conditions that favoured the bowlers or at least offered more movement than the ground usually plays.
The SCG's average powerplay score in T20s is 35 runs. Both teams exceeded that by 14 runs each, which was one area where batters did assert themselves. Death overs at this ground average 30 runs; again, both sides went past that figure, though the margin was narrower. The venue's chase success rate stands at 47%, meaning teams batting second win slightly less than half the time here. Adelaide defied those numbers to take the two points.
The Strikers won the toss and chose to field. Only 37% of toss-winning sides at the SCG have historically opted to field in T20 cricket, so it was a less common call. Given that the pitch played slower than the venue average, the decision looks astute in hindsight.
How to watch
Big Bash League coverage in the UK is available on BT Sport, with live streaming through the BT Sport app. Subscribers can also access matches via the Cricket Australia Live app depending on their region's rights. Check the BT Sport schedule for upcoming Sixers and Strikers fixtures, as BBL matches are played across the Australian summer and often fall in UK evening or late-night slots given the time difference.
Recent form
Sydney Sixers arrived at this match in poor shape. Their last four completed results in 2025 read: loss to Perth Scorchers, loss to Sydney Thunder, loss to Hobart Hurricanes, and a no-result against Sydney Thunder. Their only win in that stretch was against these Strikers. Losing that head-to-head advantage makes their position in the BBL standings more precarious.
Adelaide Strikers' own form has been inconsistent. They came into the SCG fixture with two wins from their last four completed matches, beating Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades, but losing to Perth Scorchers, Sydney Sixers, and Hobart Hurricanes in other outings. This win at the SCG will provide a boost, and the manner of it, chasing down 160 on a ground where defending has been slightly more common, gives them a result to build on as the BBL season progresses.