Despite top scoring against the Heat in the nail-biting win over the Heat, Daniel Hughes gave credit to his fellow batter Brad Haddin.
Needing 187 to win the game at The Gabba, Hughes opened the batting with Jason Roy. However, when Sam Billings was bowled by Mitchell Swepson in the 11th over, the Sixers were staring down the possibility of a tough defeat at 4/91.
But in came Brad Haddin, who hit two sixes and three fours for a blistering 32 off 13 balls to get the team in magenta to 4-150 at the start of the 16th over.
Haddin was caught out for 32, but Hughes and Haddin combined for a much-needed 59 run stand that was crucial in the eventual victory.
“I think Hadds played a gem of an innings. He got 30 off not many balls,” said Hughes after the win.
“He’s a pretty cool calm character and he kept me pretty relaxed out there. I think having him out there at a crucial time, when I think it was up around 10 and over, it was really nice to have him out there in the middle with me.”
Hughes himself reached 85 runs off 55 balls when he was dismissed in the final over, but he had already equalled Nic Maddinson’s record for the highest ever innings in a magenta jersey.
“Everyone was pretty confident going in but you’ve gotta give yourself 5-10 balls to get in,” said Hughes.
“Get the pace of the wicket. It’s just giving yourself a chance and I think we did that.
“With the short boundary you never know how hard you need to go batting first, you never know what's a good total so I think the skipper [Moises Henriques] made a good call batting second.”
The Heat got on top early in their innings, but the Sixers bowlers fought back with Sean Abbott getting another big haul to reach 12 wickets from his five games so far in BBL|06.
Hughes praised the entire bowling attack for limiting the strong Heat batting line-up to a very gettable total.
“But I think credit’s go to go to the bowlers, they kept us in the game,” said Hughes.
“We were looking are 220 there at one stage, with Peirson and McCullum going ballistic.
“So the bowlers kept us in it, we took our catches again and credit has got to go to the bowlers I believe.”
The Sixers now return to Sydney and have six days off before their next game at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the Melbourne Renegades on January 9.
“Body feels fresh,” said Hughes.
“Had those two games off, so body feels fresh and we’ve got a few days off now before our clash against the Renegades.
“We’ll rest up and we will go again at training on the 7th and 8th before our game on the 9th”