“I started really well with Babar, I thought he played really well, we formed a partnership together and that laid the foundation and we went from there.
“It definitely felt shorter towards the members (stand) and I was heading down towards the long-on and it didn’t feel like a big hit.
“I thought when I went to bat I was going to target it as much as I could and I hit quite a few bombs over that side.
And not only did Smith give Hadley a rough night, but he also stole Warner’s limelight and hopes of upsetting the Thunder.
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Battling a knee complaint that ruled him out of Monday’s loss to the Melbourne Renegades, Warner, 39, raced to a fourth-run 50, leaving the Sixers’ bowlers to fend for themselves at second as he brought up his ton.
Warner’s knock took him to the top of the BBL run-scoring charts and the veteran batsman even relieved Mitchell Starc – playing his first game in the competition in 11 years – by sending the Test bowler six points behind.
But any sense that would have been enough to secure victory – and damage the Sixers’ finals hopes – was snuffed out by a 141-run stand between Azam (47 off 39) and Smith.
On the fast outfield, Smith was in good touch from the start before falling on 100 when he was stumped by Sam Billings as he stepped down the wicket to Tanveer Sangha.
Smith’s fall briefly opened the door for the Thunder after Moises Henriques, Sam Curran and Josh Philippe all departed for single-figure scores.
But Jack Edwards (17 not out) smashed Hadley for a six to give the Sixers a win with 16 balls to spare.
The win saw the Sixers move up to fourth place and can secure a place in the finals by beating the Brisbane Heat on Sunday.
AAP
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