Billings hit fifty years to push the Thunder up to a good score, but it wasn’t enough
Hurricanes Hobart 4 for 181 (McDermott 96, Malan 42, Sangha 2-45) beat Thunder Sydney 5 for 177 (Billings 50, Hales 29, Boland 4-41) with six wikis
Ben McDermott engaged in scintillating 96 when Hobart Hurricanes defeated Sydney Thunders with six wikis at Manuka Oval. Along the way, the Hurricanes also made a Bash Boost point to jump from seventh to fourth on the BBL points table.
Running 178, the Hurricanes did not have a good start but a third-wicket partnership of 109 in 61 balls between McDermott and Dawid Malan helped reduce the equation to 56 needed from 44 balls. Malan fell to Tanveer Sangha for a 28-ball 42 but McDermott kept attacking. In all, he hit eight fours and five sixes in 56 balls. By the time he found out, the product was sealed.
Earlier, Scott Boland picked up 4 for 41 – three of those in one plus – but 50 members from Sam Billings helped 50 off the Thunder’s 34 balls in total challenge. Billings, who got 40 out of his 50 runs on the leg side, was also aided by the Hurricanes ranchers, who put him down on 22 and 38. But in the end, he was to different.
Boland’s three-wicket over Thunder’s dents
After being put on a used pitch, the Thunder were ready very quickly as Usman Khawaja and Alex Hales scored 64 in 7.1 overs for the first wicket. While Riley Meredith found an extra kick to trouble Hales, the scratches easily came from the other end. Boland was taken for 18 in the second round of the game with Hales beating it for six and four. Khawaja went into the act with four outfielders Nathan Nathan as the Thunder finished the powerplay with 40 with no losses.
As soon as the field constraints were lifted, the Hurricanes introduced a wristspin from both ends, in the form of Sandeep Lamichhane and D’Arcy Short. The move seemed to work until Khawaja started using his legs and found a limit or two. That prompted Peter Handscomb to return to Boland in eighth place, the one where the move went.
Hales tried to attack Boland again just to pull to a deep midwicket. A ball later, Oliver Davies put the edge of a slower bouncer behind the stocks. Callum Ferguson took a single on the next ball before Boland put Khawaja’s bowling through an inside edge. From 64 with no losses, the Thunder slid to 66 for 3 instead of five balls.
Billings, sloppy fielding hurt Hurricanes
Ferguson and Billings consolidated for a while and brought the Thunder to 101 for 3 at the end of 13 years. Lamichhane gave just 28 runs in his four-pointers despite conceding ten in the final, and Short was on the way to similar figures when Billings decided to go after him. Billings was 16 off the number of balls before Short started his fourth, 14th of innings. After a brace on the second ball, Billings swept the next one for four. The Hurricanes had a chance to stop Billings innings on the next ball as the bat was a long hop spoiler to go long but Mitchell Owen let them catch. To rub salt into the wound, Billings put the next ball over a deep midwicket for six. Billings got another life two goals later when Will Jacks, coming in from long range, put a low chance.
Ferguson rallied for 23 off 24 balls but with 137 for 4 at the end of 17 pits, the Thunder were well placed to take advantage of the Power Surge. Billings picked up his fifty – off 33 balls – with four off Boland but fell on the next ball to give Boland his fourth wicket. Ben Cutting (15 * off 10) and Daniel Sams (16 * off 6), however, broke three fours and six between them to ensure the Thunder finished strongly.
More to follow
Hemant Brar is sub-editor of ESPNcricinfo