BBL 2025/26, SS vs MS 11th Match Match Report, December 26, 2025

melbourne stars 145 for 3 (Harper 110*, Davis 2-16) def. sydney sixers 144 (Hughes 60, Siddle 3-23, Curran 3-26) by seven wickets

On a night when Peter Siddle missed his first BBL hat-trick at the age of 41, Harper scored an unbeaten 110 off 60 balls to help the Stars reach the target of 145 with 15 balls to spare. In what was the best game of Harper’s BBL career, he dismissed Kane Richardson and brought up his century in just 50 balls at the SCG.

After going without a half-century in the last two BBL summers, Harper now has 55 and 110 not out to start this season.

The win means the Stars have won their opening three games for the first time since going undefeated during the regular season in 2013–14. In contrast, the Sixers are struggling with one win from four matches.

The biggest cause of pain for the Sixers on Boxing Day was Harper, who hit six sixes in total and scored 41 runs in Richardson’s two overs alone. The way he did this was brutal, twice dragging Richardson into the Bill O’Reilly stand and using the short side. When Richardson changed ends, Harper again made use of the dimensions, hitting another six over cover.

Before facing Jack Edwards, Harper hit the former Australian player five times in quick succession. After clearing the rope twice in the first over, he brought up his century when he top-edged the all-rounder at short third man.

Earlier, Siddle continued his impressive start to the season by taking 3 for 23 from four overs, followed by taking 3-30 in the Stars’ opener against Hobart. He got Jordan Silk caught at cover on the last ball of the 16th over, after which he made a comeback and dismissed Joel Davis at long off on the first ball of the 19th over.

But Jonathan Merlo missed a tough chance to dismiss Sean Abbott on the very first ball, depriving the former Test star of his hat-trick.

Tom Curran also had some success compared to his old club, taking 3 important wickets for 26 runs with the ball. A player with the Sixers for six seasons, Curran left the club after the 2023–24 season after he was suspended for four matches for pushing the fourth umpire.

Curran got the important wicket of Daniel Hughes, the opener had scored 60 runs in 42 balls, when he was out in the 13th over, the Sixers’ score was 90 runs for 3 wickets. He dismissed Babar Azam for 2 runs and the dangerous Edwards for 11 runs, taking the Sixers all out on the last ball of the 20th over.