Perth Scorchers opened their BBL 2025-26 campaign with a comfortable five-wicket win over Sydney Sixers in a rain-affected opener in Perth. The match was reduced to 11 overs per side, with Scorchers chasing 114 with five balls to spare.
The spotlight was firmly on Babar Azam, but his much-awaited Big Bash debut ended early. The Pakistan star scored just two runs while fellow opener Daniel Hughes was dismissed for a duck, leaving the Sixers in early trouble.
BABAR AZAM OUT FOR 2!#BBL15 pic.twitter.com/fqRiu8mewK
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 14, 2025
Sydney fell to 9 for 2 before Jack Edwards and Josh Philippe steadied the innings. Philippe played positively for his 28, while Edwards took control in the later overs with an unbeaten 46 from 23 balls, taking the total to a fighting 113 for 5.
For Perth, Brody Couch was the bowlers’ favourite, finishing with two wickets and keeping things tight through the middle stages. The Scorchers also backed their fielding, cutting boundaries and forcing the Sixers to take risks.
The chase was all about Cooper Connolly. The left-hander played a fearless knock of 59 off 31 balls, hitting three fours and five sixes to put Perth firmly in control of the shortened match.
Connolly was well supported at various stages, with Finn Allen scoring 16 and Aaron Hardie adding a handy 13. Captain Ashton Turner stayed calm at the end and finished unbeaten on 16 to see his side head home without any late drama.
After the win, Connolly said: “You’re not quite sure what’s going to happen in games like that. You go out there to play high-action cricket and it’s good to come out on top.”
He added that the team is focused on building momentum early in the season.
“Good start for us but there is still a lot of cricket to be played. I should have been there at the end. At least we won and I am happy for the team.”
For the Sixers, the loss will sting, especially after a promising recovery with the bat. They also hope that Babar Azam will settle down soon so that there will be more opportunities in the tournament.
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