Sixers beat Stars to claim BBL semi berth

"I think the scoreboard left me no choice," said man-of-the-match Abbott, who attacked the Stars' bowlers from the outset.

"We didn't speak about (the semis) going into the game, but I knew (what was on the line) going out to bat ... there was a bit more incentive to dig in."

A healthy crowd of 46,671 fans turned out to see the Stars claim their sixth semi-final appearance in succession.

Hussey was disappointed to have fallen to fourth spot having let the opportunity to play a semi-final at the MCG slip.

"First and foremost our plan was to win tonight and then play a home final against the Renegades," Hussey said.

"We've got to revisit that (performance) pretty quickly and reset our plans ... re-calibrate and get the confidence back up in the guys that they can execute under pressure."