Strikers down Hurricanes to boost BBL chances

Updated January 05, 2013 23:15:46

Adelaide Strikers gave themselves a real chance of a top-four finish with a comprehensive 38-run victory over the Hobart Hurricanes at the Bellerive Oval.

Playing in front of a hazy backdrop - the result of bushfires in Tasmania - Strikers skipper Johan Botha won the toss and, unusually for this tournament, elected to bat first.

The move looked to have backfired when Tim Ludeman (3) and Kieron Pollard (9) fell early but Michael Klinger (71 not out) and Callum Ferguson (33) did not let the run rate drop as they put on 59 for the third wicket before the latter was run out by Owais Shah.

Nathan Reardon (29) then gave former captain Klinger support in the middle and after he fell in the final over, Botha (12 not out) remarkably hit fours from each of the three deliveries he faced - two via reverse sweeps.

A target of 163 did not seem beyond perhaps the strongest batting lineup in the tournament and especially not when, following Aiden Blizzard's dismissal for a duck, Tim Paine (33) and Ricky Ponting (26) were at the crease.

After treating his home crowd to some superb pull shots, Ponting was caught at point by Botha as he looked to attack leg-spinner Cameron Boyce.

Boyce also took the crucial wickets of Paine, who holed out to long off, and Travis Birt (1) who was a victim of perhaps the catch of the tournament from Kane Richardson who made a diving one-handed grab while running backwards from long off.

Richardson then bowled Shah (9) and after two fours George Bailey (17) joined him in the sheds in the following over.

Xavier Doherty and Ben Laughlin gave some respectability to the scoreline putting on an unbeaten 23 for the final wicket but never threatened the Strikers' total, the home side finishing on 8 for 124 off the full 20 overs.

Both sides now have 8 points, with the Strikers up to third - above the Melbourne Stars on run rate - and the Hurricanes just outside the top four in fifth.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, hobart-7000, adelaide-5000

First posted January 05, 2013 22:14:30

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Punter leads Hurricanes home

Updated December 27, 2012 00:01:46

Ricky Ponting's second successive half-century led Hobart to a seven-wicket victory over Sydney in the Big Bash League at the SCG on Boxing Day.

The former Australian captain ended up unbeaten on 63 off 52 balls, as the Hurricanes chased down the Sixers' 8 for 154 to secure their third victory of the season.

Hobart was on pace for victory throughout its chase before a six from Ponting off former team-mate Brett Lee in the 16th over led to a change of ball which the visitors found much harder to get away in the face of sudden prodigious swing.

The following three overs from Luke Feldman, Moises Henriques and Sunil Narine conceded just 13 runs meaning the Hurricanes still needed eight runs off the last over, but consecutive fours from Owais Shah (13 not out) gave them victory with a ball to spare.

Batting in his customary number three spot, having previously opened, Ponting put on 84 for the second wicket with Aiden Blizzard (48).

Feldman (2 for 21) was the pick of the Sixers bowlers rattling the stumps of both Blizzard and Travis Birt (18).

Earlier the Sixers' top five all got starts but failed to turn them into match-winning contributions.

Michael Lumb provided the perfect platform hitting 34 off 22 balls before falling leg before to Xavier Doherty.

Ben Laughlin put himself at the top of the tournaments wicket takers' list with 4 for 31 taking the crucial wickets of Henriques (18) and Steven Smith (34).

Laughlin's return to the attack at the end of the innings, in partnership with Doug Bollinger (1 for 20), led to the Sixers posting a total which always looked below par.

The Hurricanes move level on points with second-place Adelaide and the Melbourne Stars, while a top-four finish looks an uphill task for the champion Sixers who have won just one game this year.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sydney-2000, hobart-7000

First posted December 26, 2012 22:20:40

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Renegades rip through Hurricanes at Docklands

Updated December 20, 2012 09:14:01

The Melbourne Renegades have strengthened their position in the Big Bash competition with a blistering seven-wicket win over the Hobart Hurricanes at Docklands on Wednesday night.

The Hurricanes struggled to score, making 9 for 103 - including just two fours and a six - off their 20 overs. Ricky Ponting top-scored with 25.

The Renegades' spin trio of Muttiah Muralidaran, Marlon Samuels and Aaron O'Brien stifled the batting side and took six wickets between them, while paceman Nathan Rimmington chipped in with three wickets.

Melbourne then clobbered 12 fours and a six in a ruthless batting display, to virtually seal a semi-final spot thanks to the boost in the team's run-rate.

The Renegades took 10 runs off the first over from Doug Bollinger, and although Xavier Doherty hit back with a wicket maiden, claiming Daniel Harris (3), the home side were intent on wiping out their target quickly.

The biggest hit of the night provided no benefit for the batsman, however, as Aaron Finch smashed a huge shot which was headed for the top deck at Docklands before it hit a beam attached to the roof.

The home crowd sent down a chorus of boos when the shot was declared a dead ball, but Finch and Marlon Samuels kept going after the bowling.

The West Indies batsman clattered three boundaries off successive balls from Michael Hogan before being bowled for 21 off just nine balls.

Ben Rohrer kept the momentum going, hitting 18 off 10 balls before being bowled by Jason Krejza, but by that time the Renegades were 3 for 64 off just 7.1 overs and headed for a thumping victory.

Finch (46 off 40 balls) and Tom Cooper (10 off 14) saw Melbourne home with 6.4 overs left.

Marlon Samuels was named man of the match for his quickfire batting and his bowling figures of 3 for 22 off four overs.

The win means the Renegades remain on top of the table and undefeated after three games, while Hobart is struggling with one win from three games.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, vic, hobart-7000, tas, australia

First posted December 19, 2012 22:20:33

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Warne confident of facing Hurricanes

Updated December 14, 2012 16:28:25

The Melbourne Stars are confident captain Shane Warne will overcome hamstring soreness to lead them in Saturday night's Big Bash League clash with the Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG.

The 43-year-old felt a twinge during Wednesday night's win over the Perth Scorchers at the WACA ground and did not train with team-mates at the MCG on Friday.

"My preparation for tomorrow's game will be stretching and leg swings in the pool," Warne tweeted.

"(The) hamstring will hopefully pull up well tomorrow and be ready for our big game against the Hobart Hurricanes."

Opener Rob Quiney expected the skipper to play.

"He saw the physio and it should be right to go," Quiney told reporters after training.

Regardless, deceptive Sri Lankan quick Lasith Malinga is expected to be the biggest threat to the in-form Hurricanes batsman after his stunning 6 for 7 against the Scorchers.

Quiney hoped Malinga would get an early crack at Hobart's middle-order star pair Travis Birt and Owais Shah.

Birt was the competition's top-scorer last season and Englishman Shah fourth, with the pair again combining to steer the Hurricanes to a comfortable win over Brisbane in their opening match this season.

"It would be nice for Malinga to have a couple of overs against those two because I think those two are the key to their batting line-up," Quiney said.

The Hurricanes will welcome retired Test great Ricky Ponting into their team after he missed their opening match through illness.

Shah said Ponting would be a big asset in numerous ways but particularly to give some tips on how to handle Malinga.

"He was amazing the other night," Shah said of the Sri Lankan.

"He's a class act, but at the end of the day he's a bowler and we've just got to try and cope as well as we can against him and use our experience.

"We've got the likes of Ricky Ponting in our team now who can share some experience on how he would have played Malinga over the years that he's played.

"He's probably faced him the most out of all of us, so we're looking to Ricky."

Stars: Shane Warne (capt), Jackson Bird, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Scott Henry, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Clinton McKay, Lasith Malinga, Glenn Maxwell, Rob Quiney, Cameron White, Luke Wright.

Hurricanes: George Bailey (capt), Tim Paine, Doug Bollinger, Travis Birt, Xavier Doherty, Evan Gulbis, Michael Hogan, Jason Krejza, Ben Laughlin, Ricky Ponting, Owais Shah, Scott Styris, Jon Wells.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, hobart-7000

First posted December 14, 2012 16:28:25

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Stars edge home past Hurricanes

Updated December 16, 2012 00:17:56

Melbourne Stars all-rounder James Faulkner has survived an appeal for handling the ball to steer his side to a tight Big Bash League win over the Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG.

Chasing just 135 to win, the Stars made tough work of their chase before getting home with five balls and four wickets in hand on Saturday night.

Faulkner was given not out off a handling-the-ball appeal in the penultimate over, bowled by medium-pacer Ben Laughlin (3 for 14), who almost proved a match-winner.

But with just five needed off Evan Gulbis' final over, Faulkner top-edged the first ball for four, before a no-ball finished the game.

The Stars had struggled early in their chase in the face of a fiery opening spell from left-arm quick Doug Bollinger, whose first two overs were just the third and fourth maidens of the BBL season.

But after reaching just 1 for 38 from their first eight overs, the introduction of New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris for the ninth proved disastrous for Hobart, yielding 21 runs including three sixes.

Despite losing three wickets in the next five overs, including two in a quality spell from Laughlin, the Stars were always likely winners from that point.

Laughlin bowled a tight 19th over, which included the appeal against Faulkner when the ball brushed his hand after he fended a delivery off his body.

Earlier, the Hurricanes struggled to 8 for 134, with Stars quicks Clint McKay (3 for 25), Faulkner (2 for 23) and in-form Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga (2 for 19) dominating with 7 for 67 between them.

Tim Paine (46 from 46 balls) was Hobart's top-scorer, while Styris (24 off 17) provided some inventive shot-making late, but Ricky Ponting (8) failed in possibly his last MCG innings.

The Stars have now won two of three games and the Hurricanes one of two.

Man of the match McKay said the Stars were building momentum but had clear areas to work on.

"We're always looking to improve and play the perfect game that coach Greg Shipperd talks about and get a bit more clinical with the batting," he said.

"But at the end of the day we got over the line and got the points and that's what we came here tonight to do and it sets us up beautifully."

Faulkner said fellow Tasmanian Laughlin was "clutching at straws" with his vehement appeal for handling the ball.

"He's like that all the time, he carries on like a two-bob watch, what you see is what you get," Faulkner said.

"Having said that, he was one of the first to come up and shake hands."

Hurricanes skipper George Bailey agreed there was nothing in it.

"Benny Laughlin gets pretty excited, I think Jimmy Faulkner gets pretty excited. They're both pretty competitive," Bailey said.

"I think even Benny when he saw the replay realised there wasn't much in it."

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, hobart-7000

First posted December 15, 2012 22:40:36

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Sixers prevail as Hurricanes run out of puff

Updated January 23, 2012 01:49:47

A bloodied Brett Lee led the Sydney Sixers to a seven-run win over the Hobart Hurricanes setting up a meeting with the Perth Scorchers in Saturday's Big Bash League final.

Sporting a bleeding nose after a mid-pitch collision with Hurricanes batsman Phil Jaques, Lee and captain Steven Smith grabbed two wickets each as the Sixers defended what had appeared to be a below par 6 for 153.

The former Test spearhead finished with the impressive figures of 2 for 22 from his four overs after making the initial breakthrough to remove in-form opener Jonathan Wells for 11 and then hammering one of the final nails into the Hurricanes' campaign with the wicket of Jason Krejza.

Lee said he had been putting in extra net work in an attempt to be right for Australia's coming one-day matches after recovering from surgery to have his appendix removed in South Africa.

"That's the reason why I'm running around out here," he said.

"The big picture for me is get back and lead the one-day attack.

"Hopefully we'll get the call for that."

He said the Sixers were still to play their best cricket as they head to the WACA Ground.

"We've played well batting wise and then bowling wise but we haven't really put the two together," he said.

"Tonight was probably the best we've played collectively."

Smith finished with 2 from 22 from two overs, while old-stager Stuart MacGill got the vital wicket of BBL top-scorer Travis Birt for 11 to begin the home side's collapse.

Only Jaques offered any real resistance with 63 off 48 before Smith bowled him trying to reverse sweep to all but end the Hurricanes' fight.

Classy Sixers batsman Nic Maddinson top-scored for the visitors with 68 off 51 balls and eight fours as his side managed just two sixes for the innings.

The Hurricanes were in unfamiliar waters when they lost big guns Birt (11 off 15) and Owais Shah (0 off 3) within the space of one run to be teetering at 3 for 51.

Needing one of their lesser lights to step up, 'keeper Tom Triffitt looked likely in making 16 off 14 before he was caught superbly by a diving Stephen O'Keefe at 4 for 85.

Jaques brought up his 50 off 42 balls by pulling Stuart MacGill for four but when Matt Johnston went for just six the home side were staring down the barrel at 5 for 107.

Tail-ender Rana Naved smashed 30 off 14 to leave the Hurricanes needing 18 off the final over.

But tremendous tight bowling by Ian Moran saw the Sixers win a spot in the Twenty20 Champions League.

Hurricanes captain Xavier Doherty rated his side's BBL campaign as fair.

"Obviously you rate your success or failure on making the final or making the Champions League," he said.

"Unfortunately we didn't quite get there. We gave it a pretty good shake."

AAP

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, australia, tas, hobart-7000, sydney-2000, nsw

First posted January 22, 2012 22:39:22

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Hurricanes beat Renegades in thriller

Updated January 19, 2012 11:09:33

The Hobart Hurricanes have moved a step closer to hosting a Big Bash League semi-final after chasing down 4 for 173 in a nail-biter to beat the Melbourne Renegades at Bellerive Oval.

Led by opener Jonathan Wells, who made 72 off 61 balls, the Hurricanes won by seven wickets, sneaking the 10 runs they needed off a final over bowled by Shahid Afridi, whose final ball wide ensured the win.

Cool heads from Owais Shah (49 off 30) and Phil Jaques (12 off 7) guided the home side to 10 points on the BBL ladder, meaning that unless the Sydney Sixers enjoy a big win over the Perth Scorchers in the later game on Wednesday, a play-off match will be held at Bellerive this weekend.

The win snapped a two-match losing streak for the Hurricanes as they delivered on the promise they had shown when they opened their campaign with four straight wins.

Wells survived some anxious moments to pace the run home perfectly after the Hurricanes had pegged back a flying start from Renegades openers Aaron Finch (67 off 45) and Brad Hodge (63 off 41).

Wells and Travis Birt (25 off 16) hit the accelerator in the seventh and eighth overs, belting four sixes.

Wells managed three straight fours off Andrew McDonald's first three balls in the ninth, but one was a French cut and another a snick past wicketkeeper Graham Manou.

It did not stop him posting his 50 off 40 balls and with Shah he steered his side towards the victory before he was caught on the boundary by Will Sheridan off the bowling of debutant Brenton McDonald.

Earlier, Finch had broken his bat in blasting 67 off 45 balls for the Renegades.

The opener was left carrying the handle after trying to smash Ben Laughlin in the 14th over, having already belted three sixes and five fours.

Three of those sixes had come off consecutive deliveries from Jason Krejza (3 for 39) in the eighth over.

Finch and opening partner Hodge (63 off 41) put on 126 for the first wicket to get the Renegades off to a flyer before the Hurricanes applied the brakes and the Renegades lost 4 for 51 in the last eight overs.

Big Hurricanes opener Mark Cosgrove's first BBL match did not go well, the former South Australian awkwardly playing on a Dirk Nannes yorker he appeared to have dug out when on two.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, hobart-7000, tas, australia

First posted January 18, 2012 19:34:11

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Heat edge Hurricanes in Big Bash thriller

Updated January 07, 2012 12:06:55

The Brisbane Heat posted a thrilling three-run win over the Hobart Hurricanes to break their duck in the Big Bash League at the Gabba on Friday night.

The victory came despite Travis Birt smashing a remarkable 74 runs off 36 balls for the previously unbeaten Hurricanes.

Chasing a tournament record 202 for an unlikely win, the Hurricanes looked gone for all money at 2 for 101 after 13 overs before Owais Shah (69 off 44 balls) and Birt opened the shoulder blades.

Heat medium-pacer Alister McDermott had the unenviable task of bowling the last over when the Hurricanes needed 16 runs to win.

Shah hit 12 runs, including a six, from the first four balls in a nail-biter before McDermott pulled off a crucial play, running out Birt on the penultimate ball of the match.

When Shah holed out to a Dan Christian catch in the deep, the Heat had pulled off their first win of the competition while consigning Hobart, looking to secure a home final, to its first loss as it finished at 4 for 198.

Brisbane captain Peter Forrest lauded McDermott for keeping his cool under fire in the final over, saying it was a huge relief to finally have a win on the board.

"It was unbelievable. I just tried to hold our composure and told Macca ... it's nothing different, even though it's a high pressure situation. We were a bit nervous, but it was executed, so it was good," he told Grandstand.

"[It's a] massive weight off our shoulders - to play the way we did tonight, even though it got fairly close, they're the competition leaders and are playing well.

"We played to our potential tonight, I reckon. There're still some areas to improve, but very happy to get a win."

Hurricanes skipper Xavier Doherty said despite the loss, there were plenty of positives for his side to take home.

"I guess we could take a bit of confidence out of batting," Doherty told Grandstand.

"I thought we bowled and fielded pretty ordinary. We set high standards for ourselves in this tournament.

"It was probably 20 runs above par but the boys did really well to get close.

"It was a great effort with the bat. It gives us a chance if we're in that position again.

"I said at the start of the day it's probably the best wicket in this tournament. It was a very fast outfield and pretty easy to hit sixes.

"Our fielding and bowling was well off the mark, dropping easy catches and our bowling was off the mark too.

"Obviously we've got a pretty good batting line-up and we put out that effort again tonight.

"The plan is have a good training session and nut out a few of those errors in the field."

Former Test batsman Matthew Hayden turned back the clock with a vintage 76 off 51 balls to help guide the Heat to 4 for 201 and earn man-of-the-match honours.

Brisbane won the toss and elected to bat as it racked up the highest score of the competition so far, eclipsing the Perth Scorchers' 2 for 192 against Melbourne Renegades at Docklands in round two.

The Heat are still slim odds to make the finals but the win will be a massive confidence boost for them.

Hayden, 40, and the Heat's Tasmanian-born opener Andrew Robinson (44 off 28 balls) handed the hosts a dream start in front of 15,134 fans as they smashed their way to 0 for 100 midway through the eighth over.

"It's great to have the monkey off our back," Hayden told Grandstand.

"It's amazing when you've got a big total on the board, how you can take it for granted.

"There was just so many little things we didn't execute very well and that's kind of been our tournament so far, whether it be with bat or ball or in the field, we just haven't executed spot on.

"Twenty20 cricket, which I've played a lot of now, you do get a roll and you get a negative roll as well. So it's good to spiral up from here on in."

ABC/AAP

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, hobart-7000, tas, australia

First posted January 06, 2012 22:47:38

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Hurricanes breeze to victory

Updated January 02, 2012 08:37:10

Hobart Hurricanes remain undefeated and on top of the Big Bash League standings after a comprehensive five-wicket victory over Sydney Thunder at Bellerive Oval.

Set a modest 139 to win, the Hurricanes made it four from four with their first chase of the series on Sunday night.

Englishman Owais Shah struck 41 not out off 32 balls as his side reached the target with eight balls to spare in front of 12,238 fans.

Unfancied when the new competition began, the Hurricanes are now the runaway leaders on eight points, four clear of the Thunder, Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers.

First and second drops Travis Birt and Shah were in scintillating form for the Tasmanians, Birt making a quick-fire 35 from 18 balls before Matt Johnston hit the winning runs with a six.

"It was quite a blessing in disguise that we actually lost the toss and we had to chase, just to see where we're at, where the batters are under pressure, how they're thinking," Shah said.

"I've played that role [a lot] where I try and be there 'til the end and try and take the responsibility.

"I do enjoy that role."

The Thunder are fast starting to resemble a one-man batting show in the absence of captain Dave Warner on Test duty, West Indies star Chris Gayle smashing yet another half-century.

Gayle clobbered 53 off 33 balls, including five sixes, as the Thunder made a below par 8 for 138 after winning the toss.

He also chimed in with a brilliant one-handed catch to remove Tom Triffitt.

The competition's leading run-scorer had pleaded for his team-mates to support him after Friday night's loss to Melbourne Renegades but only a run-a-ball innings of 39 from number three Sean Abbott stood out for the visitors.

Gayle took his series tally to 232 and, with Warner having made a first-up century, the pair have now scored 334 of the side's 582 runs.

He started slowly by his standards in Hobart but still regularly cleared the boundary.

Gayle hoisted Jason Krejza (2 for 29 from four overs) onto the Southern Stand roof and hit Xavier Doherty (1 for 45 from four) for consecutive sixes to bring up his half-century before holing out at deep cover off the bowling of Krejza.

From there the Thunder collapsed again, losing 7 for 45.

Gayle's fellow West Indies star Fidel Edwards (2 for 33) says the Thunder was not relying too heavily on their opener.

"Chris has his job to do," he said.

"He's an opening batsman, he's supposed to go out there and score runs so you can't say we (should) rely less on Chris.

"If Chris scores runs then everybody's back-up is good for us as a team."

The Hurricanes all but secured a semi-final spot, while the Thunder face a must-win Sydney derby against the Sixers at the Olympic stadium next Sunday.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, twenty20, hobart-7000, sydney-2000

First posted January 01, 2012 22:05:58

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Hurricanes boast winning BBL formula

Updated December 29, 2011 15:09:14

Hobart Hurricanes captain Xavier Doherty was not surprised when no-one hailed his outfit as Big Bash League contenders.

"Probably at the start of the series, no-one really talked about us," Doherty said.

"No-one really does talk about Hobart, that is just the way it is and we accept that."

But three consecutive wins have Hobart not only BBL pacesetters, but standard setters.

Doherty, who took a masterly 4 for 17 in Hobart's 14-run victory over Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday night, is the competition's most economical bowler.

The second and third most miserly are his team-mates, Rhett Lockyear and Ben Hilfenhaus.

The Hurricanes boast the tournament's top run-scorer in Travis Birt (149 runs), with team-mate Phil Jaques third.

And Hobart's star import, Pakistani pacer Rana Naved, has taken the most wickets so far, with Doherty second.

Little wonder Doherty says the Hurricanes are riding a wave of confidence.

"Winning becomes a bit of a habit and at the moment we're winning and it's pretty good," he said.

"Guys are playing with confidence, which is a massive part of Twenty20."

Hobart's batting has been underpinned by Jaques' consistency and Birt's aggression with a common theme of steady, rather than blazing, starts to their innings.

"We probably don't have the superstars at the top of the order to go really hard," Doherty said.

"I'm sure at some stage this tournament we will get off to a bit of a flyer but so far it's more just six, seven runs an over.

"But more often than not, we have got wickets in hand and that is the main thing."

Hobart host the Chris Gayle-powered Sydney Thunder, who are undefeated from two games, on New Year's Day.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia, tas, hobart-7000

First posted December 29, 2011 14:19:47

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Doherty downs Strikers for unbeaten Hurricanes

By Ciaran Baynes

Updated December 29, 2011 09:10:50

Hobart Hurricanes skipper Xavier Doherty led his side to a 14-run victory over the Adelaide Strikers in Wednesday night's T20 Big Bash League match at the Adelaide Oval.

Doherty took 4 for 17 as the Hurricanes defended their total of 4 for 171.

The left-arm spinner took the wickets of both openers and then returned to take two more in the 19th over but he was quick to pay tribute to his batsmen for making a competitive total.

"It was a really good effort by the boys - when you've got 170 on the board you'll win more often than not. As a bowler you enjoy having that many runs to play with," Doherty told Grandstand.

"Coming in at the end, when they need 15 an over, it's always going to go one way or the other but the wickets at the top of the innings were important. We knew [Aiden] Blizzard was a key player for them so to get rid of him was nice.

"We're three from three now and we have that winning feeling. Winning does become a habit especially in Twenty20 when the competition is so even."

After Doherty won the toss, Phil Jacques (41) and Jonathan Wells (34) put on 64 for the first wicket but at a relatively sluggish scoring rate, before Travis Birt (44 off 26 balls) and Owais Shah (36 not out off 18) helped the visitors accelerate to their winning total.

Following the dismissal of Strikers' openers David Klinger and Blizzard, the middle order could not find its groove until Cameron Borgas (31) and Tom Cooper (43 not out from 27) put on a 62-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Cooper gave the hosts hope with his big hitting, which included a big six onto the roof of the Chappell Stands.

Adelaide coach Darren Berry bemoaned the lack of support for Cooper at the end, as well as his side's inability to play Doherty.

"It came down to the last five overs - they got 66 off their last five and we could only manage 41," Berry said.

"It was a good game of cricket, but not good to be on the wrong side of it.

"We spoke about how we play Xavier Doherty and we certainly didn't execute that. He got 4 for 17, an outstanding performance.

"He's a really clever player in this format. We spoke about playing him straight down the ground and too many blokes got out playing across the line."

Hobart, an outsider at the start of the tournament, tops the table after winning all of its first three games.

The Strikers remain fourth with two points, ahead of Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers on net run rate.

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, adelaide-5000, sa, australia, tas, hobart-7000

First posted December 28, 2011 22:40:09

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Hurricanes hammer sloppy Sixers

Mike Tuckerman

Updated December 22, 2011 12:07:23

A superb bowling display from fan-favourite Rana Naved helped the Hurricanes move to the top of the table as they beat the Sydney Sixers by 42 runs in their T20 Big Bash League clash in Hobart on Wednesday night.

Pakistani import Naved took 4 for 22 off four overs to clean up the Sixers after Hobart posted an imposing total of 3 for 169 off its 20 overs.

The Sixers misfired with ball in hand and fumbled regularly in the field as a 107-run partnership between opener Phil Jaques (73 of 55 balls) and man-of-the-match Travis Birt (65 off 41) propelled the Hurricanes to a big score.

"That's my blueprint, run-a-ball sort of stuff at the top and if I get some boundaries away then great," Jaques said.

"If we can make 170 every game, I think we'll go a long way in this comp."

Sixers captain Steven Smith said his side had plenty of work to do.

"Just executing our skills with the ball was a main (problem) and just batting a bit deeper as well, giving ourselves a chance," he said.

"We weren't quite on tonight but the sun comes up tomorrow and hopefully we'll be right next game."

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the home side lost Ricky Ponting's replacement Jonathan Wells early but steadied when the big-hitting Birt joined former Test batsman Jaques at the crease.

The pair batted patiently until Birt smashed a towering six off Stuart MacGill in the 10th over to signal the start of a run frenzy.

They were aided by some poor fielding by the Sixers, who had trouble keeping their footing on a slippery Bellerive Oval surface.

The visiting side was equally generous with ball in hand as Dwayne Bravo (0 for 23 off 2 overs) and Moises Henriques (0 for 29 off 2) felt the wrath of Birt's big hitting.

He eventually fell to the bowling of Mitchell Starc, who finished the best of Sydney's bowlers with 2 for 35 off his allotted four overs.

Needing more than eight runs per over for victory, any hopes of a successful Sixers chase looked dashed when Ben Hilfenhaus and Jason Krejza took wickets off consecutive balls to remove openers Peter Nevill (3) and Michael Lumb (3).

The Hurricanes' bowlers produced a steady stream of wickets, with cult hero Naved coming within a whisker of a hat-trick as he cleaned up the Sixers' tail.

Krejza chimed in with two wickets and Hilfenhaus, Xavier Doherty and Ben Laughlin all finished with one apiece in an impressive team display.

Nic Maddinson top scored for the Sixers with 33 off 27 balls but when Steve Smith (28 off 28) and Henriques (22 off 17) lost their wickets, it signalled the end of Sydney's challenge.

It was Hobart's second successive victory of the nascent Big Bash competition.

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, hobart-7000, tas, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted December 21, 2011 22:17:04

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Hurricanes blow away Scorchers

Updated December 19, 2011 08:27:49

The Hobart Hurricanes pulled off an improbable 31-run victory as the Scorchers self-destructed in their Big Bash League opener at the WACA ground in Perth on Sunday.

Dismissed for just 140 on a slow WACA wicket, the Hurricanes silenced a parochial Perth crowd to bowl out the Scorchers for 109 off 19.5 overs in reply.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Hurricanes well placed at 3 for 101 before collapsing to lose their next seven wickets for just 39 runs in the face of relentless pressure in the field.

English import Paul Collingwood reeled off run-outs to remove his countryman Owais Shah and the big-hitting Rhett Lockyear, as Hobart's middle-order failed to fire with the exception of Travis Birt's 40 off 30 balls.

Perth quick Ben Edmondson chimed in with the figures of 4 for 40 as the Scorchers looked well on top at the change off innings.

However, the Hurricanes began their fightback early when Ben Hilfenhaus had the dangerous Herschelle Gibbs caught behind for 2 in the second over.

Man-of-the-match Hilfenhaus finished with the impressive figures of 2 for 10 off four overs and Xavier Doherty was equally economical in his maximum spell of 1 for 15.

"I guess we identified we needed to start very well and taking early wickets was the key," Hilfenhaus said.

"Tonight I was lucky enough to get a couple of early ones and put some pressure on them."

Deputising for injured captain Tim Paine, Doherty's precise field placements and accurate off-spin slowly suffocated the life out of Perth's lacklustre batsmen.

Gibbs, Simon Katich (8), Mike Hussey (0) and Collingwood (4) all failed as Perth's experienced batting line-up fell cheaply, leaving Mitchell Marsh to carry the load with a-run-a-ball 35.

Some lusty late-innings hitting from Nathan Rimmington gave the Scorchers a glimmer of hope, but it was snuffed out when he was caught by Birt in the deep off the bowling of Doherty after blasting 22 off 14 balls.

Hobart's cult hero Rana Naved cleaned up the tail, finishing with 2 for 27 and effecting the run out of Ben Laughlin to end the innings.

"I thought the way be bowled was excellent, the way we fielded was good," North said.

"I thought 140 was below-par so at half-time we were in a good position. But in this format if you get reduced to 4-20, the game gets on top of you and there's too much work to do."

AAP

Tags: sport, twenty20, cricket, perth-6000, wa, australia, hobart-7000, tas

First posted December 19, 2011 00:38:40

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Cosgrove left out of Hurricanes squad

Updated December 15, 2011 21:02:31

Hobart batsman Mark Cosgrove has been overlooked for the Hurricanes' Big Bash League opener in Perth on Sunday.

Ricky Ponting will opening the batting alongside former Test opener Phil Jaques, with coach Ali de Winter unable to squeeze hard-hitting Cosgrove into his side to play the Scorchers.

"It was always going to be a difficult selection (for the first match) but we think we've come up with a team that's going to get the job done in Perth," de Winter said.

"Unfortunately Cossie's just missed out, but he'll play a big role during the tournament for us."

Cosgrove played three one-day internationals for Australia in 2006 but has struggled with fitness concerns.

Cosgrove's weight had nothing to do with his omission, according to de Winter.

"We know that Cossie isn't the greatest mover around, but he's certainly got some safe hands ... and he's a good cricket brain. That really wasn't a factor.

"He hasn't been in the greatest form as of late, which he'd admit to himself."

Ponting will play the one Twenty20 game before joining the Test batting camp.

Xavier Doherty will captain the side in the absence of injured skipper Tim Paine.

AAP

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, hobart-7000, tas, australia

First posted December 15, 2011 21:02:31

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