The Cricketer's in-depth look at the Sixers ahead of the new campaign, including player analysis, strengths, weaknesses, and full squad and fixtures listings
Coach: Greg Shipperd
Since taking over as head coach ahead of the 2015/16 season, Greg Shipperd has steered Sydney Sixers to four finals in seven years and lifted back-to-back titles in BBL09 and BBL10. Shipperd had previously held coaching positions with Tasmania, Victoria, and Melbourne Stars in Australia and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. "Talking batting with him is probably the most I've ever got out of talking to a coach," Ricky Ponting once said of Shipperd – high praise indeed for a coach deemed a "mastermind" of Australian cricket.
Captain: Moises Henriques
Seven players have skippered Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash, but no one comes close to Moises Henriques in terms of tenure. The 35-year-old has captained the side on 78 occasions prior to BBL12, winning 44 matches and lifting two titles. He's also scored a team-leading 2,340 runs, clocked up a team-leading 103 appearances in magenta, and chipped in with 19 wickets and 48 catches. Fellow veteran, Daniel Hughes, serves as Henriques' understudy.
Overseas stars
Izharulhaq Naveed: Easily the biggest curveball of the inaugural Big Bash draft after being picked up in the bronze category. Izharulhaq Naveed is a 20-year-old leg-break bowler from Afghanistan, who impressed at the 2022 Under-19 50-over World Cup, taking 10 wickets and maintaining an economy of 3.63. Naveed, who represented New York Strikers in the Abu Dhabi T10, forms part of a spin quartet with Steve O'Keefe, Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy.
Chris Jordan: Having previously represented Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers, Chris Jordan joined Sydney Sixers last season as a replacement for Carlos Brathwaite and picked up three wickets in five appearances. A pace bowler who specialises at the death, Jordan has picked up over 300 wicket across an extensive franchise career and is also a handy lower-order hitter, boasting a career strike rate above 125.
Afghanistan international Naveen-ul-Haq will deputise for Jordan prior to his arrival in late December. A rigth-arm quick, the 23-year-old has taken over 150 T20 wickets across his career, including 31 in 22 outings for Afghanistan, and has impressed for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast.
James Vince: A legend in magenta, James Vince is the most successful overseas batter for the Sixers, scoring 1,278 runs at a strike rate of 132.02 in four seasons. During their back-to-back title triumphs, he scored 323 runs (BBL09) and 537 runs (BBL10), respectively, while he's had a hand in four of the top-10 highest partnerships for the Sixers. A top-order batter in hot form, Vince scored 678 runs (two centuries, three half-centuries) to help Hampshire win the 2022 T20 Blast. He also adds leadership experience.
James Vince and Josh Philippe will renew their dynamic opening partnership [Brendon Thorne/Getty Images]
Changes from 2021/22
Jordan, a replacement signing for Carlos Brathwaite last season, retains his spot on the roster as does fellow England international, Vince. Naveed is the new overseas signing while both Shadab Khan and Tom Curran have departed.
Kurtis Patterson returns to Sydney after spending the past few seasons with Perth Scorchers, for whom he scored 438 runs in 25 appearances, while Todd Murphy, an injury replacement for Steve O'Keefe in 2021/22, has been retained. Steve Smith will be available at the back end of the tournament – he has only made four appearances for the Sixers since 2013/14 – but Lloyd Pope and Ben Manenti are no longer at the club.
How did they do in 2021/22?
Another strong season from the Sixers, who won nine matches from a possible 14 to finish second in the group stages before securing a spot in the final at the second attempt (they lost to Perth Scorchers before beating Adelaide Strikers in the challenger). However, the three-peat eluded them, with Perth Scorchers completing a comfortable 79-run win in Melbourne.
Best finish: Champions (BBL01, BBL09, BBL10)
BATTING
Power hitters
Sydney Sixers have no shortage of players in this department, with top-order trio Josh Philippe, Vince and Henriques all fond of bludgeoning boundaries. Both Philippe and Henriques scored over 400 runs in BBL11, with the former scoring at a rate of 143.47 and the latter at 133.33, while Vince, though quiet last season, was similarly impressive in 2020/21, scoring 537 runs (four half-centuries) at a rate of 143.58.
Indeed, when the Sixers lifted their most recent title in BBL10, no fewer than six players – five of whom are still with the club – posted strike rates in excess of 140. And, for BBL12, they've added Patterson, who scored 31 fours and 18 sixes on his way to 391 runs (142.18 strike rate) for Perth Scorchers last season.
Anchor
Averaging a shade under 30, striking in the 120s and vastly experienced, Daniel Hughes often occupies this role for the Sixers. His 287 runs in BBL12 included three 50-plus knocks – among his teammates, only Philippe (four) scored more. A traditional anchor, however, isn't really in the Sixers' DNA.
Finisher
Lots of options here, too. Dan Christian is the standout choice, with the 39-year-old striking at just under 140 across his T20 career. However, should he not get the job done, Jordan, Ben Dwarshuis (whose 96 runs came at a rate of 171.42 last season) and Hayden Kerr, who scored 98 not out as a makeshift opener against Adelaide Strikers in the knockout stages and finished the season with 152 runs at a rate of 144.76, are all handy with a bat.
He was off colour in BBL11 but middle-order stalwart and gun fielder, Jordan Silk, shouldn't be underestimated – in BBL10, he contributed 382 runs (144.69 strike rate).
Problem areas
Batting is a strong area for the Sixers, with the strike rates of the likes of Kerr, Jordan and Dwarshuis illustrating their depth. Philippe was a little all or nothing last season, countering four half-centuries with three ducks, which can unsettle the order and if we're being really picky, their batting order could have a little more variety. Hughes, Dwarshuis and Patterson are the only left-handers in the squad.
Jordan Silk is one of the many destructive batters at Sydney Sixers' disposal and a gun fielder [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images]
BOWLING
Speed merchants
You'll struggle to find a more experienced pace attack - five of the Sixers' seven bowlers are older than 30 and the whole unit boasts more than 1,200 T20 appearances – and it's unlikely to be disrupted by international call-ups.
Powerplay operators Bird, Sean Abbott and left-armer Dwarshuis can all test the speed gun and the latter pair were particularly effective in BBL11, taking a combined 36 wickets. Jordan will be their go-to guy at the death while allrounder Christian, who has taken over 270 career wickets in the format, is something of an impact bowler. Henriques offers occasional medium pace.
However, the player to watch is Kerr. The left-armer came out of nowhere in BBL11, picking up 25 wickets (second only to Peter Siddle) in just his second Big Bash campaign and maintaining an economy of 7.5. Of players to take 10-plus wickets only Tymal Mills and Jason Behrendorff were more economical. Options aplenty.
Variation
Of players to take more than 70 wickets prior to BBL12, only Rashid Khan has done so with a lower economy than O’Keefe. The left-armer, who turned 38 on the eve of the tournament, struggled with injury last season but still managed to collect 15 wickets and record an economy of 6.57. Though his availability will likely be restricted by Australia's Test series against South Africa, Nathan Lyon's T20 record of 57 wickets in 50 appearances (20.86 average, 7.13 economy) is not to be sniffed at.
At the other end of the age scale, Murphy and Naveed have made just 14 T20 appearances combined. Bowling off-spin and leg-spin, respectively, they add variety to the Sixers’ bowling arsenal, and both are highly-rated talents. Murphy conceded just 5.11 runs per over in four appearances in BBL11 while Naveed's skills earned him a contract with New York Strikers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.
Problem areas
With Lyon likely unavailable for a considerable chunk of the tournament, Sydney Sixers could find themselves in a tricky spot if O'Keefe breaks down. Murphy and Naveed are both bright talents but are inexperienced. An out-and-out fast bowler wouldn't go amiss either.
It's also worth flagging their over-reliance on a few key bowlers. Last season, O'Keefe, Kerr (nicely plugging the gap left by Carlos Brathwaite), Abbott and Dwarshuis took a combined 76 wickets; the other 11 bowlers used took 30. Keeping this quartet fit (and hoping Kerr's form in BBL11 wasn't just a purple patch) could be crucial.
Steve O'Keefe will leads Sydney Sixers' spin attack [Matt Roberts/Getty Images]
Who takes the gloves?
Philippe has been the Sixers' go-to gloveman for the past few seasons and ranks second in the all-time BBL wicketkeeping charts. He has completed 56 dismissals (43 catches, 13 stumpings) in 63 matches, including a competition-leading 17 dismissals in 2021/22. There is no obvious second-choice keeper in the squad: Jay Lenton was parachuted in for two matches last season when Philippe was unavailable.
Squad: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Izharulhaq Naveed, Chris Jordan, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince, Todd Murphy, Mickey Edwards, Jack Edwards, Steve Smith, Josh Kann (local replacement player), Naveen-ul-Haq (partial replacement for Chris Jordan)
Fixtures: December 14 – Adelaide Strikers (Adelaide Oval, 8.15am GMT) December 17 – Perth Scorchers (Perth Stadium, 8.05am), December 22 – Hobart Hurricanes (SCG, 8.15am), December 26 – Melbourne Stars (SCG, 7.05am), December 28 – Melbourne Renegades (SCG, 8.15am), December 30 – Melbourne Renegades (Kardinia Park, 7.30am), January 1 – Brisbane Heat (The Gabba, 8.15am), January 4 – Brisbane Heat (North Sydney Oval, 7.05am), January 6 – Melbourne Stars (MCG, 7.30am), January 8 – Sydney Thunder (Sydney Showground Stadium, 8.15am), January 15 – Perth Scorchers (SCG, 8.15am), January 17 – Adelaide Strikers (Coffs Harbour, 8.15am), January 21 – Sydney Thunder (SCG, 8.05am), January 23 – Hobart Hurricanes (Bellerive Oval, 8.15am)
Possible starting XI: Josh Philippe, James Vince, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques, Jordan Silk, Hayden Kerr, Dan Christian, Sean Abbott, Chris Jordan, Steve O'Keefe, Ben Dwarshuis
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