Overview
- Sydney Sixers chased 190 with 16 balls to spare after Smith struck a 41‑ball hundred and finished with 100 off 42, eclipsing David Warner’s 110* for the Thunder.
- On the last ball of the 11th over, Smith refused a routine single to keep strike, then took 32 off Ryan Hadley in the next over, the most expensive in BBL history.
- Babar Azam, who shared a 141‑run opening stand with Smith, was out first ball after the blitz for 47 and showed visible frustration as he left the field.
- Post‑match, Smith framed the call as tactical and discussed at the 10‑over mark, while Mitchell Starc publicly endorsed it as a standard T20 match‑up decision.
- The episode drew heavy social‑media abuse toward Smith and renewed pundit scrutiny of Babar’s T20 tempo, with on‑air comments noting his lower strike rate and mixed BBL returns; the Sixers moved to fourth and now aim to clinch finals qualification against Brisbane Heat.