Sydney Sixers 6 for 178 (Hughes 59, Neser 3-39) beat Brisbane Heat 8 for 151 (Bryant 57, Kerr 3-23) by 27 runs
Sydney Sixers all but locked in second place on the BBL ladder, consigning the Brisbane Heat to a sixth straight loss.
In a potential BBL farewell for Heat cult figure Chris Lynn, Sixers easily defended their 6 for 178 at the Gabba with Heat slumping to 4 for 43 in the ninth over and finishing 27 short.
It meant, unless the Sydney Thunder could notch a monster victory against Melbourne Renegades, the Sixers will play table-topping Perth Scorchers on Saturday at Marvel Stadium for a spot in the final on January 28.
Lynn passed 3000 BBL runs on his way to making 19 before slapping uppishly to cover against left-armer Hayden Kerr, a familiar scene in a season in which he's passed 32 just once in 12 innings.
The slump is a far cry from the form he was in, despite a host of injury setbacks, when he signed a rich, five-year deal that expires this season. The loyal Heat servant, replaced as captain by Jimmy Peirson this season, could be forced to look elsewhere or retire from the BBL and continue to tour the international T20 circuit.
Heat's loss leaves them in danger of collecting the wooden spoon, Renegades able to overtake them with a win over the Sydney Thunder later on Wednesday.
Thunder could still jump the Sixers on run-rate, but Daniel Hughes and Moises Henriques did their best to put them out of reach on a warm afternoon.
Marnus Labuschagne's dismissal of Henriques in his return from Test duties and Michael Neser's 3 for 39 ensured the hosts kept things respectable.
Lynn's exit after a bright start was followed by Labuschagne's for just 3, while the returning Nathan Lyon found Sam Heazlett's edge to make it 4 for 43.
Peirson and Max Bryant combined to put some pressure back on Sixers, Bryant notching back-to-back BBL half-centuries for the first time. The jig was up though when the captain holed out to the miserly Steve O'Keefe, leaving them 51 to get off 19 balls before Bryant followed soon after.
Kerr took his tournament tally to 22 wickets, one shy of leading wicket-taker Peter Siddle.
