BBL13-Heat vs Hurricanes Match-29 Report: Colin Munro’s Brisbane Heat became the first team to qualify for the playoffs in the BBL 2023/24 season following their 1-run victory over the Hobart Hurricanes in a rain-marred last-ball thriller at the Gabba.
The Heat now have 14 points in 8 games and sit comfortably at the top of the points table, while Nathan Ellis’ Hurricanes have 6 points in 7 games and are fifth in the points table.
Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes As it happened:
With a rain threat around, Ellis made the call to bowl first, despite Gabba’s recent history of preferring the team batting first. Josh Brown and Colin Munro got off to a sedate start and managed to put up a 35-run opening stand in 36 balls.
The hosts then lost wickets in a flurry. The three middle-order batters—McSweeney, Renshaw, and Billings—managed single-digit scores as Munro cracked a couple of sixes at the other end before being dismissed for 56 runs in 47 balls by Patrick Dooley.
Paul Walter carried forward the score in death overs, though with not much energy, scoring 22 runs in 21 balls as Brisbane trudged to 132/7. Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3/19 in 4 overs.
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Xavier Bartlett rocked Hobart’s top-order; Nikhil Chaudhary’s star rises further
As expected, and as the hosts needed it, Brisbane’s new ball pacers, Michael Neser, and Xavier Bartlett, got into the act straightaway. Neser got Caleb Jewell for 4 before Bartlett got rid of Macalister Wright, Sam Hain, and Corey Anderson for 0, 0, and 2, respectively. Walter dismissed opener Ben McDermott, and the Hurricanes were in huge trouble at 56/5 after 9 overs.
The imminent rain arrived, and when play resumed, Hobart were set a revised target of 118 in 16 overs. The Delhi-born Nikhil Chaudhary, who has been having an impressive BBL season so far, counter-attacked in a spectacular fashion, twice dancing down and smashing Spencer Johnson for boundaries. Tim David smoked Walter for a four and a six. Johnson retorted with two wickets, including one of David, in the penultimate over.
With 13 runs to win in the last six balls, Chaudhary clubbed Walter for a sixer over deep square leg, but Walter had the last laugh as he bounced out Chaudhary, who got out for a brilliant knock of 55 runs in 37 balls. With 5 runs needed in 3 balls, Walter kept his cool against tailenders Ellis and Dooley and conceded 3 runs, propelling Brisbane to a 1-run win.
BBL13-Heat vs Hurricanes Match-29 Report: Man of the Match
Xavier Bartlett was named Player of the Match for his sensational new-ball spell in which he took three wickets in two overs.
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