Harper 60-ball 110* and Curran, Siddle three-fors make it three in three for Stars

Sam Harper's maiden BBL century blasted Melbourne Stars to their best start to a season in 12 years with a seven-wicket win over Sydney Sixers.

On a night when Peter Siddle, at the age of 41, narrowly missed out on his first BBL hat-trick, Harper smashed an unbeaten 110 from 60 balls to help Stars chase down 145 with 15 deliveries to spare. In what was easily the best game of Harper's BBL career, he took to Kane Richardson and brought up his century off just 50 balls at the SCG.

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

Victory means Stars have won their opening three games for the first time since they went undefeated through the regular season in 2013-14. Sixers, in contrast, are struggling with one win from four games.

Harper was the cause of most of Sixers' pain on Boxing Day, hitting six sixes in total and taking 41 runs off two overs from Richardson alone. The manner in which he did so was brutal, twice making use of the shorter side by pulling Richardson into the Bill O'Reilly Stand. When Richardson swapped ends, Harper again made use of the dimensions, hitting the quick over cover for another six.

Harper also hit the former Australia white-ball quick to the rope five other times, before taking on Jack Edwards in similar fashion. He brought up his hundred when he top-edged the allrounder over a short third man, after twice clearing the rope earlier in the over.

Earlier, Siddle continued his superb start to the season with 3 for 23 from four overs after he also claimed 3-30 in the Stars' opener against Hobart. He had Jordan Silk caught at cover from the final ball of the 16th over, before returning and getting Joel Davies at long off from the first ball of the 19th.

But Jonathan Merlo put down a tough chance at point to remove Sean Abbott first ball, denying the former Test star his hat-trick.

Tom Curran also enjoyed some success over his old club, picking up a crucial 3 for 26 with the ball. A six-season player with Sixers, Curran left the club after the 2023-24 season, when he was suspended for four matches for pushing a fourth umpire.

Curran got the key wicket of Daniel Hughes, after the opener had played a lone hand with 60 off 42 balls, with the Sixers 90 for 3 when he was dismissed in the 13th over. He also rid of Babar Azam for 2 and the dangerous Edwards for 11, with Sixers all out from the last ball of the 20th over.