Black Caps whiteball specialist Tim Seifert has made a swashbuckling Big Bash debut for Melbourne Renegades, but his heroics weren't enough to see them home against Sydney Sixers at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Batting first, the visitors complied 169/7 across their 20 overs, with Seifert, batting at No.3, topscoring with 55 runs off 42 balls, including six boundaries and a six. Sydney lost momentum, losing three wickets for 11 runs through the middle stages, but Seifert compiled a 50-run partnership off 34 balls with captain Will Sutherland, before he eventually edged Ben Dwarshuis through to wicketkeeper Josh Philippe off the final ball of the 17th over.
Behind the stumps, Seifert and Sutherland combined again in the field to dismiss Joel Davies, but the Sixers were always ahead of the run chase, Englishman James Vince (40 off 29 balls) getting them off to a strong start and captain Moises Henriques continuing the momentum with an unbeaten 53 off 27 balls, including three sixes — one of them sailed 108 metres onto the grandstand roof.
Sydney knocked off their target with nine balls to spare, but lost the services of veteran bowler Daniel Hughes, who aggravated an elbow injury diving for an attempted catch off Seifert.
The Renegades next face Hobart Hurricanes at Geelong on Thursday.
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