BBL12, After a low-scoring Launceston thriller, the Hobart Hurricanes pulled off a miraculous two-run victory over the Brisbane Heat to keep their prospects of making the BBL playoffs alive. With five wickets in hand, the Heat were on course to run down the Hurricanes’ modest score of 9-120 and needed only 16 runs from the last three overs in Launceston.
Hurricanes alive chances still alive in BBL12
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But their pursuit crumbled when top-scorer Jimmy Peirson (39 from 37) was caught by Nathan Ellis in the 18th over for four runs. Quick heating Joel Paris then struck out Michael Neser in the following over, allowing just two runs. Brisbane required 10 runs off the last over, bowled by part-timer Tim David, but could only manage seven despite Tim Bazley’s booming maximum off the third-last delivery. Bazley needed a four off the last ball to win the match, but he only got a single, leaving the Heat down 8-118.
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The Hurricanes have risen to fifth place on the table, a position they may maintain provided the sixth-placed Sydney Thunder lose against the Melbourne Stars on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Heat blew a wonderful opportunity to earn third place and hosting rights for ‘The Eliminator’ final on Friday. Usman Khawaja’s team slipped to 4-30 in the sixth over of the chase until a 73-run partnership between Peirson and Sam Hain (26 from 34) straightened out a significant portion of the total.
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After losing the toss and being put in, the Hurricanes stumbled to 9-120. On a tough surface, Mac Wright was their lone spark with the bat, scoring a run-a-ball 56 in his first match of the summer. Marnus Labuschagne made two excellent outfield catches, one a low diving attempt to get rid of Ben McDermott (two out of seven balls) and the other an overhead grab to get away from dangerous man David (four from six). Spencer Johnson, the breakout star, was brilliant both early (2-20 from four overs) and late.
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