Pietersen proves T20 value, Sydney wins Big Bash

The left-hander shared an 86-run opening stand with Jacques Kallis (28) to set the tone for the Thunder, who chased down 177 with just three balls to spare to give retiring captain Mike Hussey the ideal send-off. The wicket didn’t slow Pietersen down though, with the Englisman taking a liking to the Thunder spinners, smashing them down the ground for a couple of huge sixes.

Kevin Pietersen top scored with 74 as Melbourne posted a score of 176 for nine batting first, but it wasn’t quite enough.

The Scorchers were chasing the hat-trick of titles as they have been the most successful BBL team.

The win completes a remarkable turnaround for the New South Wales franchise, who had finished bottom in three of the previous four editions of the Big Bash, with only five wins in that time.

It was Pietersen’s third half-century in eight innings in this year’s competition.

With Pietersen at the crease, the Stars looked on for close to 200 at one point in their innings due to the way he was commanding the bowlers.

The problem was two-fold for the Scorchers: not only could neither David Willey and Ashton Agar hit big like they are capable, they also lost Voges in the 18th over.

The Scorchers’ scoring was particularly hampered by the large MCG boundaries, Klinger and Cameron Bancroft (13no) hitting their only two maximums.

Sunday’s men’s final is preceded by the inaugural women’s Big Bash final (2.30am, Sky Sports 3), which sees Sydney Thunder lock horns with city rivals Sixers after the sides downed Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes respectively in the semi-finals.

Marcus Stoinis picked up three wickets for the Stars but it proved too less for the home side as useful contributions from the Sydney batsmen, especially Aiden Blizzard’s 7-ball 16, saw them home to cap off a memorable day in their history.