The Sydney Sixers defeated the Hobart Hurricanes by a margin of victory of 24 runs to prepare for their Qualifier rematch with the Perth Scorchers.Steve Smith's incredible streak of centuries came to an end, but not before he dazzled the audience with a scorching 66 from 33, including a monstrous blast into the roof of a standAfter failing to score on their home field, the Hurricanes will now need to overcome the Brisbane Heat on Wednesday and pray that either the Renegades or Thunder lose in their subsequent matches.Smith exploded out of the start, but the Sixers' season was a tale of two halves after that.After hitting Joel Paris for six off a no-ball, he had him take a shot in a fast succession.His subsequent delivery was so wide that Smith was able to get the free hit on the rope before it reached the boundary.Nathan Ellis rescued the Hurricanes' power play by allowing just two runs in his first over.It was short-lived as Riley Meredith was devoured by Super Smith.Josh Phillipe got caught in the ring trying to open up because he was unable to match his opening partner.When Smith reached new heights and put Tim David on the roof before finishing his fastest half century ever, he didn't seem to care.Ellis, though, managed to sneak a complete toss into Smith's pad, putting a stop to the fireworks.
However, Ellis secretly threw a full throw into Smith's pad, ending the show as a review revealed the ball would have struck a leg stump.With five overs left, the Sixers were at 6-122 as Hobart raced through the middle order. The wicket had provided Hobart with an opening, and they didn't need any more encouragement.Patty Dooley's penultimate over saw Ben Dwarshius score 18 runs before he was struck out for 30, but it was enough to halt the visitors' momentum and bring them to 7-180.Ben McDermott's performance didn't improve, and Jackson Bird had to take him off following a review after he nicked a wide shot.After being tricked by a slower ball that Sean Abbott dipped, Caleb Jewell, his partner, vanished shortly after.After trying to get the spinners off the ground and identifying the guy in the deep on 14, captain Matthew Wade sought to establish himself in the game.Izharulhaq Naveed, a 19-year-old Afghan spinner, excelled as Zac Crawley and Tim David added runs.David was timing them well, but as the wheels came off for the home team, his first slip-up dropped into Jordan Silk's lap.Crawley came up just short of a half century, but the game was over.Hobart won the game by a scratch score of 8-156.