181/6 (19.5)
CR : 9.13
180/6 (20.0)
CR : 9.00
Hobart Hurricanes won by 4 wickets
Player of the Match
Chris Jordan
2/3616(13)
19.4
0
D Sams to N Ellis
Make that three dots in a row. 1 required from 2 now. Good length delivery angling away outside off, Ellis takes his front leg out of the way and swings for the hills across the line but connects with thin air.
My goodness!!! A hat-trick of dot balls!!! Ellis is not able to connect anything. Sams is keeping the Thunder in the hunt. Hobart Hurricanes still need 1 off the 2 balls.
19.5
1
D Sams to N Ellis
Hurricanes get across the line. They are home with a ball to spare. A loud cheer from the Hobart fans as the defending champions seal the game with four wickets in hand and start their title defence on a winning note. Sams bowls a good length delivery on the stumps, 129.4 kmph, Ellis plants his front leg and drives it straight down the ground. Past the outstretched left hand of Sams and it beats mid off to his right. The batters complete the run and put an end to this contest.
Over 20
Hobart Hurricanes 181/6
Chris Jordan16(13)
Nathan Ellis5(8)
Daniel Sams1-35(3.5)
HBH won by 4 wickets
5:17 PM IST, 10:47 PM Local Time: Hobart Hurricanes have beaten Sydney Thunder again! The defending champions start the new season from where they left off in the 14th season! They defeat the Thunder by 4 wickets in the rematch of the last season's finale! This wasn't a straightforward one for the Hurricanes as the Thunder pulled things back at the back end and made the Nathan Ellis-led side work hard for the win.
Earlier in the game, the Hurricanes won the toss and opted to bowl first. Matthew Gilkes went off to a flyer in the second over before Billy Stanlake had the last laugh. Sam Konstas then took care and hit a few boundaries in the powerplay. He slowed down post the field restrictions and was eventually knocked over by Stanlake. Chris Jordan struck twice in the same over and reduced the Thunder to 79/4 at the halfway mark.
Cameron Bancroft steadied the ship with his 15th BBL half-century and scored 61 off 44 balls. The Thunder number 3 added a 59-run 5th wicket partnership along with Shadab Khan, who started off slowly, but managed to get some rhythm to his innings, hitting 34 off 24 balls. Daniel Sams struck a quickfire 23 off 11 balls and remained unbeaten, while Chris Green, facing the last ball of the innings, smashed a boundary to take the Thunder to 180/6 in 20 overs.
Stanlake finished with 3/34. Jordan picked up 2/36. Nathan Ellis wrapped up with 1/39. Rishad Hossain was economical as was Rehan Ahmed, while Riley Meredith went for plenty.
Mitchell Owen and Nikhil Chaudhary came out all guns blazing as the Hurricanes teed off from where they left off in the last edition's final. Owen slammed 32 off just 14 balls, contributing heavily in the 48-run opening partnership before Sams took a blinder of a catch to dismiss the dangerous all-rounder.
Chaudhary and Ben McDermott were aggressive, too. The former hit 41 off 31 balls, while the latter scored 38 off 24 balls. The Thunder spinners removed the two after they put up a 61-run partnership for the second wicket. Tim David's stay was a short one, but he hit 17 off just 9 balls. Rehan Ahmed failed with the bat.
At one stage, the Hurricanes slipped to 151/5 from 109/1. The Thunder squeezed things down using the spin trio (Shadab Khan - 2/36, Green - 1/33 and Sangha - 2/36). Matthew Wade went off the blocks quickly, but slowed down on seeing the wickets fall at the other end. Nathan McAndrew removed Wade in the penultimate over for a 16-ball 25. Chris Jordan remained unbeaten on 16 off 13 balls to hold an end up and calm the nerves in the dugout. The equation came down to 4 off the last 6 balls and then 1 off the last 5 balls, but Nathan Ellis came under pressure after failing to score in the next three balls. However, the Hobart skipper managed to get one on the penultimate ball to close out a tense finish.
Stay tuned for the post-match ceremony!
Earlier in the game, the Hurricanes won the toss and opted to bowl first. Matthew Gilkes went off to a flyer in the second over before Billy Stanlake had the last laugh. Sam Konstas then took care and hit a few boundaries in the powerplay. He slowed down post the field restrictions and was eventually knocked over by Stanlake. Chris Jordan struck twice in the same over and reduced the Thunder to 79/4 at the halfway mark.
Cameron Bancroft steadied the ship with his 15th BBL half-century and scored 61 off 44 balls. The Thunder number 3 added a 59-run 5th wicket partnership along with Shadab Khan, who started off slowly, but managed to get some rhythm to his innings, hitting 34 off 24 balls. Daniel Sams struck a quickfire 23 off 11 balls and remained unbeaten, while Chris Green, facing the last ball of the innings, smashed a boundary to take the Thunder to 180/6 in 20 overs.
Stanlake finished with 3/34. Jordan picked up 2/36. Nathan Ellis wrapped up with 1/39. Rishad Hossain was economical as was Rehan Ahmed, while Riley Meredith went for plenty.
Mitchell Owen and Nikhil Chaudhary came out all guns blazing as the Hurricanes teed off from where they left off in the last edition's final. Owen slammed 32 off just 14 balls, contributing heavily in the 48-run opening partnership before Sams took a blinder of a catch to dismiss the dangerous all-rounder.
Chaudhary and Ben McDermott were aggressive, too. The former hit 41 off 31 balls, while the latter scored 38 off 24 balls. The Thunder spinners removed the two after they put up a 61-run partnership for the second wicket. Tim David's stay was a short one, but he hit 17 off just 9 balls. Rehan Ahmed failed with the bat.
At one stage, the Hurricanes slipped to 151/5 from 109/1. The Thunder squeezed things down using the spin trio (Shadab Khan - 2/36, Green - 1/33 and Sangha - 2/36). Matthew Wade went off the blocks quickly, but slowed down on seeing the wickets fall at the other end. Nathan McAndrew removed Wade in the penultimate over for a 16-ball 25. Chris Jordan remained unbeaten on 16 off 13 balls to hold an end up and calm the nerves in the dugout. The equation came down to 4 off the last 6 balls and then 1 off the last 5 balls, but Nathan Ellis came under pressure after failing to score in the next three balls. However, the Hobart skipper managed to get one on the penultimate ball to close out a tense finish.
Stay tuned for the post-match ceremony!
Player of the Match: Chris Jordan
Chris Jordan (Player of the Match): "I mean at this stage of the tournament, the boys have just come back together and you want two points. We wanted to finish it earlier but happy to get the win.
To be honest, when I came on in the first over, two set batters were there in the middle and I was trying to protect the short side. When I came back for the second over, I assessed the wicket and tried to attack. It paid off today.
Honestly, the support was excellent tonight. Hopefully, we can build on and go on a run and win and the crowd get behind us."
To be honest, when I came on in the first over, two set batters were there in the middle and I was trying to protect the short side. When I came back for the second over, I assessed the wicket and tried to attack. It paid off today.
Honestly, the support was excellent tonight. Hopefully, we can build on and go on a run and win and the crowd get behind us."
Much better from Sydney Thunder to drag the game till the very end this time, which wasn't the case in the last season's finale, where Hobart Hurricanes cruised home, courtesy of Mitchell Owen's sizzling century. Owen gave the scare to the Thunder again, but the men in lime green led a courageous fightback. Still, the defending champions had enough gas left in the tank to get away with a four-wicket win on the penultimate ball of the game.
Tomorrow, we have Adelaide Strikers making their first appearance of the season as they travel to the SCG to face Sydney Sixers.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Akshay Bhide and scorer Raju Khariya. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!!!
Tomorrow, we have Adelaide Strikers making their first appearance of the season as they travel to the SCG to face Sydney Sixers.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Akshay Bhide and scorer Raju Khariya. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!!!