BBL12, Tim As Hobart Hurricanes’ season hangs in the balance, Brisbane Heat 162 for 6 (Renshaw 41) defeated Hobart Hurricanes 150 for 6 (Wade 45, David 44*, Neser 3-27) by 12 runs. With a vital 12-run win at the Gabba, the surging Brisbane Heat resumed their quest for a BBL playoff place while denting Hobart Hurricanes’ aspirations. Defending 163, the Heat were in control because of Michael Neser’s excellent bowling until surviving a late attack from big-hitter Tim David. Three consecutive victories have put the Heat solidly in postseason contention, while the Hurricanes are now out after failing to end their road losing streak.
BBL12, Neser excels, while Johnson keeps his cool
The heat needed early wickets to preserve what seemed to be a modest score at the batting-friendly Gabba. Neser obliged by dismissing struggling Ben McDermott and Zac Crawley with a series of excellent outswingers in his two-over burst. However, with David looking threatening, Neser returned in the 15th over after the Hurricanes seized the power surge, and he bowled superbly under pressure. He then delivered the last over and dismissed Mitchell Owen, but a first-ball six from Faheem Ashraf brought the game back to life.
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With the Hurricanes needing 18 runs off the last over, Heat left-arm quick Spencer Johnson maintained his calm against a rampaging David with great clutch bowling, allowing the Heat to climb into the crucial top five for the first time this season. Wade and David are unable to raise the Hurricanes. After the Hurricanes fell to 14 for 2, they needed a spark from captain Matthew Wade, who had been in a rut with just 68 runs in his previous five innings while dealing with problems.
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Wade made his move with a pair of boundaries off Johnson in the fourth over and unleashed his typical creativity against spin. But he was out for 45 in the 13th over, putting the pressure on David, who responded in the 18th over with two sixes off spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. His bet to refuse singles paid off temporarily, but it proved too much for David as the Hurricanes dropped their ninth consecutive game on the road.
BBL12, The Heat overcame difficulties caused by their stardom
Captain Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne are yet to score for the Heat since their comeback. Khawaja scored 18 before spooning a return catch to Faheem, while Labuschagne’s 25-ball 28 lacked consistency. Despite having only played one T20I in his career, Labuschagne is determined to show that his powerful longer format style can convert into T20 success.
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But a scratchy inning in which he fought for timing before falling after the drinks break at a critical point did nothing to calm the naysayers. The heat seemed to be on the verge of falling well short of a competitive total before strong knocks from Matt Renshaw and Sam Hain propelled them to respectability. Hurricanes’ attack looked for a bounce back after being smacked by in-form Scorchers batsman Aaron Hardie, who has been dismissive of most bowlers this season.
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The job was made more difficult by the absence of injured spinner Paddy Dooley, who has had a breakthrough season and emerged as an unexpected talisman of the attack. Frontline quicks Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis were pricey, but left-arm seamer Joel Paris had a great performance to aid Heat. Paris has been in and out of the lineup and has just three wickets from five innings at an economy rate of 8.56 before to this match.
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During the powerplay, though, he conjured swing and then dismissed Labuschagne in the 11th over. Paris also bowled a clutch over towards the end of his four overs to finish with figures of 2 for 15 in four overs, his best performance of the season. Faheem was also accurate, frustrating Heat, who went six overs without hitting a boundary. The Hurricanes’ sharp catching highlighted a significant improvement on the field.
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