James Vince top scores again as Sydney Sixers remain joint-top of the Big Bash League

The Hampshire and England batsman hit a 20-ball 27 as his side defeated Adelaide by two wickets.

England colleague Tom Curran had earlier taken 4-22 as Adelaide had been bowled out for 135.

It was the Sixers’ fifth straight win and kept them level on points with Stars, who have played one game fewer.

It was also the third time in four matches that Vince had top scored - following his 39 against Brisbane on December 22 and his 26-ball 41 against Melbourne Renegades on January 2.

In between, Vince had missed two games after picking up an elbow injury in the nets.

Vince won the man of the match award against Renegades - his second such award in the BBL.

His first had come in January 2019 after hitting 75 for the Sixers in a victory over Brisbane Heat.

Next up for Vince and co is a mouthwatering clash with Stars on January 12.

That will mean a reunion with his former county colleague Glenn Maxwell, whose unbeaten 59 against Sydney Thunder this week was the highlight of his side’s latest win.

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Vince actually finished last year as the fourth highest-scoring batsman in world T20 cricket in 2019.

He scored 1,390 runs in 47 innings playing for six different sides - Hampshire, England, Auckland, Multan Sultans, Paarl Rocks and Sydney Sixers.

The only batsmen with more runs were Babar Azam (1,607 from 39 innings), AB De Villiers (1,580 from 43 innings) and Kieron Polland (1,404 from 58 innings).

Vince’s one-time Hampshire under-17 colleague Cameron Delport was fifth highest with 1,381 runs from 53 innings.

And Hampshire’s Rilee Roussow was sixth highest with 1,301 runs from 43 innings.

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Rilee Roussow is currently impressing in the Bangladesh Premier League for Khulna Tigers.

The South African has compiled four half-centuries in scoring 411 runs from 10 innings, plus other scores of 48 and 42.

The only batsman with more runs in the series so far is ex-England international Dawid Malan (436).