After brilliant bowling, Rishad Hossain had the chance to win the match with the bat. When he came to the crease, Hobart Hurricanes needed five runs from one ball. But the Bangladeshi leg-spinner could manage just one run. A late batting collapse led to an incredible defeat for the Hurricanes.
At their home ground on Wednesday, Hobart Hurricanes lost to Brisbane Heat by just three runs in the Big Bash. Chasing 161, they could only reach 157 for 8 wickets.
The match had seemed firmly in the Hurricanes’ hands. With contributions from Beau Webster and Ben McDermott, they were on the path to victory. With eight wickets in hand, the team needed 37 runs from the last six overs.
Even after the departures of Webster and McDermott in consecutive overs, the match remained in Hobart’s grasp. In the last 13 balls, 11 runs were required, yet they couldn’t even achieve six runs in the final over with three wickets in hand.
Their openers, Tim Ward and Mitchell Owen, had failed to give a strong start, with neither reaching double figures. It was only through Webster and McDermott that the home side began to chase victory.
McDermott reached his fifty in 25 balls with aggressive batting, while Webster was slightly slower, taking 40 balls for his fifty.
At 124 runs, Webster attempted a six off Marnus Labuschagne but was caught at deep square leg, ending a 98-run partnership that had lasted 66 balls.
In the next over, Matthew Kuhnemann bowled McDermott out, who had scored 59 off 36 balls with three sixes and three fours.
In the 18th over, Matthew Wade hit a six off Michael Nissar to bring the equation closer, but on the very next ball, he was caught in the boundary while attempting another six. In the following over, Xavier Bartlett dismissed Rehan Ahmed and Chris Jordan within three balls.
The final over was bowled by Pakistani pacer Jaman Khan, who had conceded 27 runs in the first three overs. Nathan Ellis couldn’t score off the first delivery. On the second, a single allowed Nikhil Chowdhury to take strike. But Khan’s brilliant bowling denied any runs off the next two balls, leaving a tough equation. On the fifth delivery, Nikhil attempted a six but was caught long-on. Rishad could only take one run off the last ball.
In a pressure-filled situation, Jaman Khan’s excellent bowling conceded just 2 runs and delivered an unbelievable victory for Brisbane Heat.
Rishad Hossain also bowled superbly, taking 2 wickets for only 27 runs in 4 overs. Both his wickets came in his last two overs, costing just six runs.
Yet, due to the batsmen’s failure, Hobart Hurricanes couldn’t win their final league match of this Big Bash season. Still, the team had already secured a playoff spot, sitting at the top with 13 points from 10 matches.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann of Brisbane Heat, who took 2 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs, was named the Player of the Match.
