Melbourne Stars 145 for 3 (Harper 110*, Davies 2-16) beat Sydney Sixers 144 (Hughes 60, Siddle 3-23, Curran 3-26) by seven wickets
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.