HH vs MS | Twitter nervy as Webster, Chaudhary, and Meredith take Hurricanes over line in dramatic finish

Venkateswaran N

ByVenkateswaran N,SportsCafe Editor

20

Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Stars by three runs in the Big Bash League Knockout in Hobart on Wednesday. Beau Webster and Nikhil Chaudhary played cameos to power the side to 114/5 in 10 overs before Riley Meredith picked up two wickets to scuttle the chase in a rain-shortened game.

Beau Webster
‌Hobart Hurricanes progressed to the Challenger of the Big Bash League after notching up a thrilling three-run win over Melbourne Stars in Hobart on Wednesday. With rain delaying proceedings, Beau Webster and Nikhil Chaudhary went on a six-hitting spree to power the home side to a formidable total before the Riley Meredith-led bowling unit held their nerve to restrict the Stars to 81/4, in the chase of 85, and knock them out of the competition.

After being put into bat at the Bellerive Oval in a game reduced to 10-overs a side, the Hurricanes opener Mitchell Owen showed intent straightaway. He smashed Glenn Maxwell over the mid-wicket fence in just the third ball but was dismissed by the veteran off-spinner a ball later. But, a shortened game meant new batter Webster and Tim Ward had no time to settle down, with the pair scoring three boundaries in the next over off Tom Curran to end the two-over powerplay at 24/1. The Australian all-rounder continued to tick the home side’s scoreboard with boundaries of Peter Siddle, while Ben McDermott also got going quickly with two fours after Ward was dismissed by Haris Rauf. But the introduction of Mitchell Swepson slowed things down as the leg spinner bowled two tight overs, conceding just 12 runs, with Marcus Stoinis bowling another good one in between. And that meant the hosts had to throw their bat at everything in the last three overs. They did exactly that with Webster and Chaudhary plundering six sixes to take the side to a commanding 114/5 in 10 overs. Unsurprisingly, Webster finished as their top run-getter with three sixes and three fours during his 26-ball 47, while Chaudhary had three maximums to make 24 off just 11 balls. Meanwhile, Rauf was the pick among the Stars’ bowlers with figures of 2/27 in two overs as Maxwell, Stoinis and Curran had a wicket apiece.

The Stars had a slow start with leg-spinner Nikhil Chaudhary keeping things tight without giving a boundary in the first over. And Riley Meredith continued the good work as he castled Thomas Rogers with a full and straight delivery in the first ball of the next over. The Stars were placed at 9/1 at the end of the powerplay as another spell of rain took the players outside the park. A revised target of 85 in seven overs meant the visitors needed to score 76 in the last five, and Joe Clarke kept them in the game. He smashed four fours and a six in his 17-ball 31, with his dismissal bringing the equation to 44 off the last 15. Though sixes from Maxwell and Stoinis and an impressive cameo from Hilton Cartwright (15 off four balls) brought the game down to the wire, Owen bowled an excellent final delivery to trigger wild celebrations in the home camp. Meanwhile, Meredith was the standout bowler for the hosts with a spell of 2/19 in two overs.

Absolute cinema!!!

Breakthrough!

Breakthrough!

Thriller!

He is back!

Breakthrough!

Boundary!

Wicket!

Gone!

Yeah!

Gone!

Got him!

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