Muted start for Brathwaite in Sixers defeat

HOBART, Australia (CMC) — Former West Indies Twenty20 International Captain Carlos Brathwaite made a quiet start to this year’s Australia’s Big Bash with a muted performance in the tournament opener as his Sydney Sixers went down to Hobart Hurricanes by 16 runs here yesterday.

Sent in at Bellerive Oval, Hurricanes tallied 178 for eight off their 20 overs with Tim David top-scoring with 58 off 33 deliveries and Colin Ingram stroking 55 off 42 balls.

They were four for two in the second over before Ingram, who struck seven fours and a six, put on 55 for the third wicket with Captain Peter Handscomb (24) and a further 40 for the fifth wicket with David, who carved out eight fours and a six.

Seamers Dan Christian (3-36) and Ben Dwarshuis (3-38) picked up three wickets apiece while Brathwaite’s two overs of medium pace leaked 16 runs.

In reply, James Vince smashed 67 off 41 deliveries with eight fours and a couple of sixes, in a 116-run, second-wicket partnership with opener Jack Edwards (47), which put Sixers in control of the contest at 118 for one in the 14th over.

But once both fell in the space of five balls with two runs added, the innings declined swiftly, with Brathwaite facing only two deliveries and finishing with as many runs, after arriving at the start of the penultimate over.

Brathwaite is one of four West Indies players signed with franchises for the December 10 to February 6 tournament Down Under.

Andre Fletcher and Nicholas Pooran, the latter of whom is currently on tour of New Zealand with West Indies A, have inked deals with Melbourne Stars while Test Captain Jason Holder will link up with Sixers for a handful of matches following the ongoing series against the Black Caps.