Brendon McCullum's Brisbane Heat fall short of Big Bash final in super-over loss

Moises Henriques blasted 18 off five balls to book the Sydney Sixers for a second BBL final against Perth in three years, courtesy of a thrilling super- over victory over Brisbane at the Gabba on Wednesday night.

After whacking 64 off just 34 balls to help the Sixers tie the match proper at 167, Henriques returned in the extra over against Ben Cutting to leave the Heat 23 to chase. Brendon McCullum and Cutting could only manage 15 in reply, the latter after he conceded just six in the final over of the first innings to send the match to the first tiebreaker of the competition.

It means that two years after Henriques was at the centre of a shattering last- ball defeat to the Scorchers in the 2014-15 decider, he and his men will have a chance to extract their revenge on Saturday at the WACA.

Arriving at the crease at 2-34 in pursuit of Brisbane's 9-167 in the first innings, Henriques steered the visitors out of danger before exploding in the middle overs to to bring up his 50 in 24 balls.

But when Mark Steketee (2-21) had him caught at mid-off with 26 runs still required, it brought the Heat back into the match in front of a fifth- consecutive sold-out crowd at the Gabba.

Henriques' dismissal was part of a 4-12 collapse, after he had combined with a more circumspect Daniel Hughes for a 99-run third-wicket stand, before Steketee also had him caught in front of the wicket for 46 off 44.

The pressure began to show as Brad Haddin ran himself out for seven.

It left the Sixers needing 20 from the final two overs, and while Johan Botha (16) struck three boundaries from the penultimate over, the match took another turn when Sean Abbott was caught in the deep before Cutting's final-over heroics.

Earlier, Nathan Lyon was the Sixers' best with the ball, tearing through Brisbane's top order to claim 4-23 and leave the home side reeling in the middle overs.

McCullum (44) was the only man who looked comfortable but he faced just 10 balls in the first six overs as the Heat endured their slowest powerplay of the tournament at 2-40.

However a late flurry from allrounder Jack Wildermuth (29 from 16) took the Heat to 9-167, after he combined with Marnus Labuschagne (20) for a 26-ball 51-run seventh-wicket stand before Abbott (4-40) claimed them both in the final over to see the hosts finish 9-167.

"I think most teams would have lost that by five or six overs," McCullum said.

"But the belief in the group, we just kept fighting hard.

"In the end it's disappointing to run second but really proud of the boys for not just tonight but the entire campaign."

Meanwhile Henriques was disappointed his side had let the match slide to the super over. "We should have got home easier than we did," he said.

"It shouldn't have gone to a super over. The shot I played to get out - if I just did what I did in the super over the game would have been over a lot earlier."