MELBOURNE: Hobart Hurricanes’ combined batting and bowling effort helped the side defeat Sydney Thunder by nine runs to end the latter’s winning streak, here on Thursday.
Hurricane’s top-order batters – Matthew Wade and Caleb Jewell starred with the bat before Riley Meredith took 3/29 to assist the side to victory against the Thunder.
Batting first, the Hurricanes had an average start to their innings as the openers Ben McDermott and Jewell provided a fair 29-runs partnership before McDermott walked back to the pavilion after scoring 18.
Wade and Jewell then partnered strongly for the side. The duo batted brilliantly and added an 89-runs partnership for the second wicket. Both the batters scored magnificent half-centuries, but, Jewell could not get going as the young left-hander departed after scoring a brilliant 51. He faced 32 balls; smashing five boundaries and three sixes.
Wade, on the other hand, kept scoring runs when his side was losing wickets at an alarming rate. He batted valiantly and remained not-out for a well crafted 83 off 54 balls. He smoked 10 boundaries and two sixes.
Wade’s heroics helped the Hurricanes to post a commendable total of 177/6 in the allotted 20 overs.
For the Thunder, Gurinder Sandhu bagged two wickets, while Mohammad Hasnain, Daniel Sams, and Tanveer Sangha shared one wicket apiece.
Set to chase 178, Thunder were off to a poor start as the side lost their first wicket for a mere five runs. Last match’s hero – Alex Hales and Tanveer Sangha looked to anchor the innings following an early dismissal. The duo appeared in top-notch; adding 62 runs partnership for just 23 balls. The duo, however, could not extend their stay on the crease as Hales departed after scoring a quickfire 38 off just 17 balls, laced with seven fours and a boundary.
Following his departure, Sangha, too, soon dismissed after putting on a brief partnership with Sams. The pair could add 25 runs for the third wicket as Sangha walked back to the pavilion after scoring 31 off 19 balls, including three boundaries and a six.
Following Sangha’s dismissal, the side began to lose wickets at a consistent rate and could only score 168 despite Nathan McAndrew’s valuable 30; losing the match by just nine runs.
For the Hurricanes, Meredith and Jordan Thompson claimed three wickets each, while Sandeep Lamichhane bagged two. D’Arcy Short, on the other hand, made one scalp.
Following this victory, the Hurricanes have now moved up to the fourth position, while the Thunder remained at the second.
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