The Australia star sent all three of the balls he faced to the boundary to get his side over the line with eight balls remaining.
It came after the Strikers had posted a sub-par 135 all out on home soil, Jake Weatherald (47) and Alex Carey (32) the only men to do any real damage with the bat.
Although no Sixers players could match either of those efforts, Hazlewood was one of seven to reach double figures in a more robust team innings.
HAZLEWOOD CELEBRATES IN STYLE
The Sixers were ahead of the rate but running out of wickets when Hazlewood came to the crease with eight down.
Unflustered by the precarious situation, Hazlewood set about ruining former Australia team-mate Peter Siddle's bowling figures in the penultimate over.
Having got on strike in the second ball of Siddle's set, Hazlewood quickly got into the groove and cut his mate to the rope for the first of three fours on the bounce.
It was a fitting way to celebrate his 29th birthday, with his bowling figures of 1-19 off four overs proving pretty useful, too.
JAKE CAN'T WEATHER THE STORM
Weatherald's knock made him the game's top scorer, but it came in a losing effort.
He played fluently in a 31-ball innings that featured seven fours and a maximum before Tom Curran's superb yorker brought the Weatherald show to a close, the bowler posting figures of 4-22.
His departure put the brakes on Adelaide's progress as nobody down the order could match Weatherald's strike rate.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
It may not have been the plan, but the Sixers ended up sharing the runs around in pursuit of what was a pretty modest target.
James Vince's 27 was the biggest contribution, with Curran rounding out a superb day by adding 21 with the bat.
It was Curran's dismissal, Harry Conway's yorker giving him a taste of his own medicine, that led to Hazlewood's introduction and he put the icing on the cake.
Brathwaite returned figures of 4 for 18 that included the wickets of Chris Lynn, who top-scored with 56, the dangerous Joe Burns for 7, James Bazley for a duck and Mark Steketee for 2 as Brisbane were restricted to 148 all out.
Jake Ball took 3 for 25 from his too over to provide support to the giant Barbadian. Jackson Bird also weighed in with the ball taking 2 for 22.
Chasing 149 for victory, the Sixers were struggling at 54 for 4 before Captain Daniel Hughes’ 51 helped steady the ship. Hughes’s dismissal in the 17th created jitters for the Sixers. Brathwaite lost his wicket six balls later for just 2 as Sydney slipped to 130 for 6, which opened the door for Brisbane.
However, Daniel Christian’s unbeaten 38-ball 61 took the Sixers home, hitting the winning boundary off the final ball of the match with his side closing on 152 for 7.
The win put the Sixers on 25 points, two points clear of second-placed Sydney Thunder while the Hobart Hurricanes are third on 19 points.
Warner flew into the SCG on a chopper ahead of Friday’s Big Bash clash between his Sydney Thunder side and city rivals Sydney Sixers.
The veteran batter touched down on the outfield of the famous stadium, with a host of cameras awaiting his arrival, having dashed from his brother’s wedding in the Hunter Valley to play in the match.
Speaking to Channel 7 after disembarking, he said: “I’ve done my utmost best to get down here and hopefully put some runs on the board.
“I might look like a bit of a goose if I don’t get any runs but it’s my contribution to not just the BBL but Australian cricket. I want to be out here. I want to entertain.”
Warner played his part, top-scoring for the Thunder with 37 and hitting two big sixes, but they still slumped to a 19-run defeat.
Warner’s day began more promisingly, when his attempts to distract his long-time team-mate Steve Smith appeared to pay-off. Fitted with an on-field player microphone he was heard trying to wind up Smith, joking about his decision to move up the batting order and take Warner’s old spot as Australia’s Test opener.
Smith ignored the comments and looked fully focused but proceeded to hit the first ball of the match up in the air to depart for a diamond duck.
The Sydney Sixers Women won the toss and elected to bat, posting 152-2 from their 20 overs thanks to a brilliant 67-ball 82 not out from New Zealander Suzie Bates. Her knock included eight fours and two sixes. Sixers captain Ellyse Perry supported well with 58 from 44 deliveries including five fours and two sixes. Dottin took 0-21 from her three overs.
With the bat, Dottin was the second highest scorer of the innings with a 16-ball 25 including one four and three sixes as the Strikers were restricted to 134-9 from their 20 overs. Aussie Katie Mack top-scored with 34 while South African Laura Wolvaardt added 22 against English left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone’s brilliant 4-17 off four overs.
Dottin announced her retirement from international cricket in August.
The Strikers posted 147-5 after winning the toss and batting first thanks to a top score of 52 not out from Dottin. Her knock came off 37 balls and included six fours and two sixes.
Australian opener Katie Mack also made 31 as English left arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone picked up two wickets for the Sixers.
With the ball, Dottin produced a crucial spell of 2-30 from her four overs, including the wicket of player of the tournament Ashleigh Gardner for a four-ball duck, to set up the win for her team.
Pacer Darcie Brown also took two wickets as the Sixers were restricted bowled out for 137 in 20 overs.
Dottin was named player of the match.
The Stars are top of the standings after a stunning streak but were dealt just their second defeat of the tournament in a 14-over-a-side contest.
A heavy downpour provided an early disruption, but the Sixers kicked on from there, with Moises Henriques supplying a rapid 72 off just 31.
Sydney's total of 143-4 - adjusted to a target of 147 by the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method - proved beyond Melbourne's reach, Marcus Stoinis' attempted rally - 62 off 37 - proving to be in vain.
RAIN PROMPTS IMPROVEMENT
The Sixers made an unimpressive start with just 16 off the first 19 balls, but rain quickly came teeming down to bring about a reduction in overs.
The batting side were not initially any better following the restart, losing Daniel Hughes (14) and Josh Philippe (10) to Sandeep Lamichhane in the space of three balls in the fifth over.
However, a James Vince (41 not out) partnership with Henriques propelled Sydney in some style, the two combining for a partnership of 114 that included eight maximums from the skipper.
SYDNEY STALL SLIGHTLY
The Sixers' total might still have been more impressive had Henriques and Tom Curran not each departed in the final over.
The prolific Stoinis and Hilton Cartwright started to knock the ball around in the Stars' third over, scoring 22 with a four and a six apiece.
Cartwright went with the next ball, and the scoring slowed with Nathan Lyon initially economical, but Stoinis remained in the middle.
LYON GETS HIS MAN
Requiring 54 from the final three overs, it appeared Stoinis was determined to maintain Melbourne's outstanding run single-handedly.
He hit 16 off the next three balls from Lyon, only to then hole out to Henriques, giving the Stars a mountain to climb.
Curran took the wickets of Nick Larkin and Glenn Maxwell (12) with consecutive balls in the final over, and Sydney were ultimately comfortable.
The 29-year-old all-rounder has seen his stock rise in cricket’s shortest format over the last couple of months, following a strong performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Holder was signed as a replacement but played a crucial role in the team securing a third-place finish.
The all-rounder, who is currently with the West Indies for its ongoing tour of New Zealand, will not be available for the Sixers until their December 20 clash with the Adelaide Strikers in Hobart. He is expected to then take part in a December 26 fixture against the Melbourne Stars and the December 29 matchup with the Melbourne Renegades. For his part, Holder was excited about the move.
"I'm really excited to be coming to the BBL and in particular the Sydney Sixers. I've wanted to for a few years now and this year I have the opportunity to come in and make some appearances and hopefully do a bit for the Sixers," he said.
"BBL cricket is an interest for me and the Sixers have been successful over the past few years. Moises and I played together at Sunrisers and I really enjoyed that. It will be good to do it again."
Holder will also be joining up with former West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite at the club.
The Sixers, beaten semi-finalists last season, made it five wins from seven outings, after limiting the Strikers to 176-6 and chasing down the target with three balls to spare.
Adelaide failed to fully capitalise on a promising start, having been 53-1 after five overs, with Josh Hazlewood's miserly spell proving pivotal.
Philippe then starred with the bat, while Justin Avendano (47) also caught the eye, and Tom Curran finished the job in style in a match that saw a comical dismissal for Matthew Short.
HAZLEWOOD HALTS STRIKERS
Adelaide looked well placed to make a big score after a fast start but Hazlewood had other ideas.
Despite taking only one wicket – that of Strikers captain Alex Carey (29) – his four-over spell was key as he conceded just 18 runs.
That stood in stark contrast to the economy rates of three of his fellow bowlers, with Ben Dwarshuis, Lloyd Pope and Curran all in double figures.
SHORT'S SHORT INNINGS ENDS IN COMEDY OF ERRORS
The 14th over of the Strikers' innings saw two wickets fall, with one playing out in the manner of a slapstick comedy.
After Cameron White had holed out on 18 while in search of a six, Short followed him back to the pavilion without facing a ball.
Standing at the non-striker's end as Jonathan Wells flicked a stroke towards square leg, Short saw an opportunity for two runs, then changed his mind... then changed it again when there was a misfield.
By the time he changed his mind for a third time he was halfway down the pitch and he was then short of his ground when he was run out, even though wicketkeeper Philippe appeared to lose his grip on the ball as he whipped off the bails.
What Wells, who finished 40 not out in a losing effort, must have made of all this as he stood safely in his crease is anyone's guess.
PHILIPPE CUTS LOOSE
Philippe was aggressive from the outset in a 52-ball knock that yielded five fours and four sixes.
Avendano joined him for a 72-run opening partnership that put the Sixers firmly on course, but the best strike rate belonged to Curran.
Coming in late and with a job still to be done, Curran faced just three balls but scored 10 runs, sealing the win with a six.
Heavy rainfall had threatened to wash out the game at the SCG on Saturday, but the conditions eased and there was enough time for a 12-over match in which the Sixers came out on top.
The hosts – champions in the inaugural 2011-12 campaign – were in trouble at 68-4 but Philippe smashed 52 off 29 balls to guide them to 116-5, Adam Zampa finally removing the opener with the final delivery of the innings.
Despite possessing explosive batsmen Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell in their ranks, the Stars did not get firing until Nick Larkin and Nathan Coulter-Nile put on an unbroken 43-run stand for the seventh wicket.
However, spinners Nathan Lyon (2-19) and Steve O'Keefe (2-27) took two wickets apiece, while Josh Hazlewood and Ben Dwarshuis kept the run rate down as the Stars suffered a third final defeat.
A STRONG START
James Vince made just two off nine deliveries before picking out mid-on off Daniel Worrall, but Steve Smith (21) ensured the Sixers stayed on track after Maxwell put the Stars in.
Smith and Philippe took the fight to the Stars and the latter claimed four fours and three maximums to score his third fifty in four BBL games.
Although captain Moises Henriques fell for seven and Maxwell removed Daniel Hughes for a golden duck, Philippe established a 48-run stand with Jordan Silk (27 not out) to set what looked to be a par score.
HISTORY REPEATING?
When the teams met in the qualifier, the Sixers bowled the Stars out for the lowest score in their history – just 99.
There must have been a sense of deja vu when they slumped to 25-4 after 4.1 overs, with key batsmen Stoinis and Maxwell departing early.
Stoinis was the highest-scoring player in the BBL this year and plundered a record 147 when the teams first met this season, but he made just 10 before holing out to deep midwicket off Lyon and O'Keefe snared Maxwell lbw to leave the Stars in dire straits.
STARS BURNT OUT
Smith run out Peter Handscomb – off O'Keefe to leave the Stars 54-6.
Despite the impressive efforts of Larkin, who hit two fours and as many sixes in an unbeaten 38, and Coulter-Nile, the visitors were unable to come back from the early setbacks and fell to a resounding defeat.
All eyes were on Sixers batsman Smith in his first BBL appearance for six years, while Heat batsman Marnus Labuschagne played his first match of the 2019-20 tournament after returning from Australia's ODI series in India.
Labuschagne made only three as the Heat were restricted to 126-8, with runs hard to come by on a slow Gabba surface on Thursday.
Steve O'Keefe was named man of the match after taking 1-20 from his four overs, while Jackson Bird, Tom Curran and Ben Dwarshuis took two wickets apiece.
The Sixers eased to their target with 25 balls to spare, Vince making a stylish 51 off 37 balls and fellow opener Philippe an unbeaten 52 from 43.
Smith fell for only nine, but the Sixers were all-but home by then as they moved above Adelaide Strikers into second spot in the battle to face Melbourne Stars in the first Qualifier at the MCG.
The Heat have now lost three in a row and are just outside the play-off spots with two games to play.
STRUGGLING HEAT BATSMEN FAIL TO FIRE
O'Keefe stuck a big blow by removing Chris Lynn's off stump in the third over and the Heat were 33-2 in the fifth when Matt Renshaw was removed by Bird, having struck Nathan Lyon for six and four in the previous over.
Lyon had Sam Heazlett caught and bowled before Labuschagne was taken by Smith attempting to pull Curran, with the Heat slumping to 57-5 halfway through their innings.
James Pattinson made a brisk 27 not out from 15 balls after AB de Villiers (25) was caught by Smith in the deep, but the Sixers bowlers did a great job of restricting the Heat to a below-par total.
VINCE PROMOTION PAYS OFF
England batsman Vince was promoted to open with Philippe, Daniel Hughes dropping down the order.
He made the most of his opportunity at the top of the order, full of confidence after making an unbeaten 41 in a victory over the Melbourne Stars last time out.
Vince showed his class with glorious strokes on both sides of the wicket, coming down the track to launch Mujeeb Ur Rahman into the stands and reaching his half-century off 34 balls with a classy drive over cover before pulling Ben Laughlin to Heazlett.
PHILIPPE RETURNS TO FORM, SMITH MISSES OUT
Wicketkeeper batsman Philippe had mustered only 32 in his previous five knocks, but returned to form in batting conditions that were not straightforward.
Vince comfortably outscored Philippe in a stand of 75, but the 22-year-old clattered Laughlin for 10 off two balls as the Sixers closed in on an emphatic victory.
Pattinson followed Smith and had his Australia team-mate caught behind when he moved outside leg stump attempting an expansive drive, but Philippe brought up his half-century before Moises Henriques put the Heat out of their misery.
The Stars finished top of the table but suffered three straight defeats at the end of the regular season, while the Sixers – who will now get to host the final – won as many on the spin heading into the match.
It was a contest that followed the form book, with Steve O'Keefe (2-22), Sean Abbott (3-23) and Josh Hazlewood (2-14) impressing, while Nathan Lyon and Ben Dwarshuis each took a wicket.
Only three Stars batsmen made double figures at the MCG in a poor chase in reply to the Sixers' 142-7, which looked well under par with Josh Philippe's 34 the highest knock of a low-scoring affair.
The Stars, whose score represents their lowest in the BBL, have another chance to make the final and will meet the winners of Saturday's match between Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder.
STARS INITIALLY STEM SIXERS
What will disappoint the hosts the most is how they failed to build on an excellent showing in the field.
Philippe found the boundary four times before being caught-and-bowled by Haris Rauf an over after opening partner James Vince (12) fell to the impressive Adam Zampa (3-21).
Moises Henriques and Steve Smith put on 40 for the third wicket before the latter was given caught behind off Zampa despite believing he had not hit the ball.
From there the Sixers failed to build any partnerships of note. It meant a huge effort would be needed with the ball…
MELBOURNE LEFT SEEING STARS
Things started badly for Melbourne with Marcus Stoinis (5), Nick Larkin (4) and Peter Handscomb (4) falling inside five overs.
It did not get any better for the home side as Nic Maddinson (16) top-edged to short third man and the gleeful hands of O'Keefe, who quickly came to the fore.
O'Keefe first forced Seb Gotch to drag on before snaring the huge wicket of Glenn Maxwell (16), who was too straight with his attempt to clear long-off.
The wickets then fell with regularity and Daniel Worrall and Rauf fell off consecutive deliveries from Abbott to wrap up the win with 12 balls to spare.
The Sixers were 45-2 after being put in to bat by the Hurricanes, with Josh Philippe going for seven when he was stumped off a Clive Rose delivery.
James Vince scored just one run before he was caught behind, and a promising Daniel Hughes and Moises Henriques partnership was curtailed when the covers came on at approximately 1940 local time.
With no let-up in the conditions, the match was called off and the points split between the teams, although the rain will come as welcome relief to eastern states ravaged by recent bushfires.
The Sixers are second in the standings, while the Hurricanes are down in ninth.
Aaron Finch (109 off 68 balls) had led the struggling Renegades to 175-5 from their 20 overs at the SCG.
But after Josh Philippe's 61, Smith ensured the Sixers moved back into second in the table.
The Australia star made an unbeaten 66 off 40 balls as the Sixers reached their target with eight balls to spare.
FINCH PUNISHES SIXERS
Finch gave the Sixers chances when he was on 39 and 40, dropped by Jordan Silk and Philippe.
Another chance went begging when Finch was on 62, dropped by Ben Dwarshuis – who would face further punishment.
Bowling the next over, Dwarshuis was taken for 22 runs by Finch, including a six and three fours.
Finch went on to notch his eighth T20 century to guide the Renegades to what looked like a competitive total.
VINCE UNLUCKY
James Vince and Philippe helped the Sixers make a fine start to their chase, reaching 49 without loss after five overs.
But Vince's unfortunate dismissal would slow the Sixers down.
Will Sutherland dropped a return catch off Philippe, but the ball ricocheted onto the stumps at the non-striker's end, running Vince out for 22 off 13.
SMITH STEPS UP
That allowed Smith to take over.
A reverse sweep for four from Smith off Mohammad Nabi (1-27) in the 15th over helped the Sixers need 45 off the final five overs.
Smith almost went in the next over, with Nathan McSweeney producing a brilliant piece of fielding on the boundary, catching the ball as it was flying for six, but throwing it back as he fell over the rope.
But that would be the Renegades' last chance as Smith took control to lead the Sixers to victory.
His innings spanned just 79 balls and surpassed the previous highest score in a BBL match, the unbeaten 122 that D'Arcy Short made for the Hobart Hurricanes against the Brisbane Heat in 2018.
The performance from Stoinis was staggering, with the Australia limited-overs international cracking 13 fours and eight sixes, including a maximum from the final ball of the innings at the MCG.
The Stars looked like going the distance without losing a wicket, but Hilton Cartwright holed out to Jordan Silk at deep midwicket from the first ball of the 20th over.
Cartwright had made 59 from 40 deliveries. The home side finished five balls later with 219-1, four runs short of the record team total in the competition which was set in 2017 by the Hurricanes against the Melbourne Renegades.
Stoinis left the field to a standing ovation, having made exactly 100 in boundaries alone, with the Sixers facing a tall order to chase down their target.
Perhaps irked by his duck in the Melbourne derby against the Renegades two days ago, Stoinis carried his bat in a wonderful unbeaten 147 – the highest score ever in the Big Bash League.
Stoinis' effort blew the previous best – a 122 not out from D'Arcy Short – out of the water and the Stars were close to going through their entire 20 overs without a losing a wicket.
However, Hilton Cartwright (59) holed out to deep midwicket from the first ball of the final over as the Stars reached 219-1, marking the third highest score in the competition's history.
Still, the duo's stand of 207 also represented a record and, though the Sixers made a decent 175-7 in reply, in truth Stoinis' heroics meant the visitors were on a hiding to nothing at the MCG.
STOINIS PRODUCES 'I WAS THERE' PERFORMANCE
Stoinis' performance was so good that had you not seen it you might not have believed what was going on.
In total, there were eight sixes and 13 fours from 79 balls of utter excellence, Stoinis finishing in typically brilliant fashion with a hook over backward square leg off Sam Curran.
That came after a remarkable penultimate over in which Stoinis scored 24 runs off the luckless Ben Dwarshuis.
Cartwright provided a fine foil with three sixes and six fours off 40 deliveries, but the evening belonged to one man, with the MCG crowd offering a huge ovation to Stoinis.
SIXERS FAIL TO BUILD A PLATFORM
If there was any hope for the Sixers it may have come from the 2017 classic between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Renegades, which coincidentally also took place on January 12.
On that occasion, the Hurricanes successfully chased 223, with that match providing the two highest totals in BBL history.
The Sixers needed everything to go their way, though, and, well, it just did not happen.
Moises Henriques (41) and Dwarshuis (42) made good scores but there were not enough substantial partnerships to trouble the Stars, for whom Clint Hinchcliffe finished with 3-20.
Two interruptions due to adverse weather inside the opening three overs resulted in the match being reduced to 16 overs each, but the Sixers were already in trouble at 6-3.
Daniel Sams claimed figures of 3-14, which included the scalps of Justin Avendano (28) and Ben Dwarshuis (19) – the only Sixers batsmen to reach double figures.
Chris Morris (2-12 from 3.5 overs) removed Jackson Bird and took the bails off to run out Steve O'Keefe for a diamond duck in the final over as Moises Henriques' team were skittled for the second-lowest BBL score of 76.
Usman Khawaja was on 13 when he fell to Tom Curran in the fourth over of the chase, but Callum Ferguson (8 not out) and Sams (5no) ensured the Thunder stayed above the par score by getting to 28-2 when the rain hit again.
The Sixers consequently missed a chance to open up a four-point advantage on the teams chasing second place, with the Thunder now two points back in fourth.
The bizarre incident occurred on December 11, when Curran was warming up ahead of the Sydney Sixers’ game against Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston.
Cricket Australia’s code of conduct commissioner Adrian Anderson found that the 28-year-old, who last played for England in 2021, became involved in a disagreement with an umpire while going through his run-up.
The match official instructed Curran not to run on the pitch and stood next to the stumps to block his approach after he attempted to continue.
Anderson found that Curran “attempted to perform a practice run up and run at pace straight towards the umpire, who stood in the bowling crease facing Curran. The umpire stepped to his right to avoid the risk of collision”.
Australian broadcaster Channel 7 later posted footage on X, formerly known as Twitter, which showed the umpire advising Curran he could not use the match surface for warm-ups, and the player then bounding towards him before both men moved to avert impact.
Curran and the Sydney Sixers denied the offence and appealed against the suspension.
But the Big Bash League announced on Sunday that the appeal had been “dismissed, with the original sanction to stand”.
