Brisbane Heat 162/6 (Renshaw 41) beat hobart storm 150/6 (Wade 45, David 44*, Neser 3-27) by 12 runs
A resurgent Brisbane Heat continued their charge for a BBL playoff berth with a stunning 12-run win at the Gabba while clinching Hobart Hurricanes’ chances.
Three straight wins have lifted the Heat firmly in the playoff count, while the Hurricanes are currently out of the picture after being unable to break their drought on the road.
Neser shining, Johnson holds nervous
The Heat needed early wickets to defend a modest total at the traditionally batting-friendly Gabba. Neser obliged with the wickets of the struggling Ben McDermott and Zach Crawley as he produced some brilliant outswingers in his blistering two overs. ,
But David was looking unlucky, Neser returned in the 15th over when the Hurricanes took the plunge and he bowled well under pressure. He then bowled the last over and removed Mitchell Owen, but Faheem Ashraf’s first ball six breathed life into the contest.
Wade, David unable to lift Hurricanes
With the Hurricanes reeling at 14 for 2, they needed a spark from skipper Matthew Wade, who was in form after scoring just 68 runs in his last five innings marred by controversy.
Wade hit a couple of fours off Johnson in the fourth over and displayed his trademark inventiveness against spin. But he was dismissed for 45 in the 13th over and the pressure fell on David, who hit two sixes off spinner Matthew Kuhnman in the 18th over.
His gambit of rejecting the single paid off for a short while, but it ultimately proved too much for David as the Hurricanes lost their seventh straight game on the road.
Khawaja scored 18 runs before giving a return catch to Faheem, while Labuschagne scored 28 runs in 25 balls.
But he did nothing to ease the doubters with a blistering innings where he fought for time before falling after the drinks break at a crucial juncture.
Remembered Paris rediscovers its stingy best
The Hurricanes’ attack was expected to bounce back after being bolstered by in-form Scorchers batsman Aaron Hardie, who in fairness has dismissed most of the bowlers this season.
The task was made more difficult without injured spinner Paddy Dooley, who has enjoyed a breakout season to emerge as the attack’s unlikely talisman.
Frontline quick relays Meredith and Nathan Ellis were costly, but an excellent performance from left-arm seamer Joel Paris helped limit the Heat. Paris has been in and out of the line-up and had taken just three wickets in five innings at an economy rate of 8.56 before this match.
But he played the magic of swing during the powerplay and then dismissed Labushen in the 11th over. Paris, in his best performance of the season, bowled clutch overs to end with figures of 2 for 15 in four overs.
Faheem was also accurate to frustrate the Heat, who at one stage failed to find a boundary for six overs. The intense catch capped a marked improvement in the area for the storm.
Tristan Lovelett is a journalist based in Perth
