Stars weapon Tom Curran delivered a masterclass in new ball bowling, while the Sixers collapsed late in their innings to post a total of 144.
At the top of the order, Curran beat the bat three times and continued to back himself, pitching the fifth delivery of his first over up to a batsmen very capable of slapping him through the covers.
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But instead, Pakistani superstar Babar Azam knicked the ball which was swallowed by Glenn Maxwell at second slip in a huge early breakthrough for the Stars.
“He gave the ball the opportunity to swing,” Brad Haddin said.
Later, Sydney’s batsmen were not up to the task and after losing Moises Henriques at 4/103, they were all out for only 41 more runs.
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PRE-MATCH WRAP
The Sixers are set to receive a huge boost for their Stars clash, with the BBL’s most prolific wicket-taker returning from injury as the Sydney team in pink look to turn their campaign around.
Sean Abbott, who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained in a Sheffield Shield clash, has been passed fit and will take the field.
The 33-year-old has 175 BBL wickets to date, 14 more than AJ Tye, while boasting an average of 20.16 across his 124 games.
The Sixers lost the first two games of their fresh campaign, but bounced back strongly in their last outing with a win over their cross-town rivals, the Thunder.
However, they have also lost Todd Murphy, who was called into the Australian Ashes squad for the Boxing Day Test.
The Stars, meanwhile, have been in fine form, winning their first two games in dominant fashion.
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First they bested the reigning champions with an eight-wicket win, chasing down 158 with 24 balls to spare.
Then they beat the Strikers, reeling in their total of 155 with 11 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.
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