Barrier Reef Big Bash: Hurricanes not hitting panic button despite poor starts

Halpin Hurricanes skipper Michael Salerno is not hitting the panic button but says things must change soon after the side’s winless start to the first Barrier Reef Big Bash.

Halpin Hurricanes skipper Michael Salerno is not hitting the panic button but says things must change soon after the side’s winless start to the first Barrier Reef Big Bash.

The Hurricanes have lost both their matches in the Twenty20 tournament so far, going down to the Piccones Badgers in the season-opener before a narrow 11-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern loss to the Designer First Homes Dare Devils before the competition’s two-week hiatus.

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The Hurricanes bowled first in both games and had to chase down gettable totals, but were on the back foot early following poor starts to their run chases.

Against the Badgers, the Hurricanes were 2/3 in the third over after openers Tim Ward and Mitchell Warnock succumbed to the pace onslaught of Badgers spearheads Brodie Deverell and Jake Roach.

T20 Barrier Reef Big Bash: Designer First Homes Dare Devils v Halpin Hurricanes at Griffiths Park. Hurricanes' Justin Reid. Picture: Stewart McLean

Then, against the Dare Devils, they lost three wickets for 11 runs between the fifth and seventh overs.

Salerno was critical of the mini batting collapses his side had suffered in both defeats, and stressed on the need to rectify it soon.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying different combinations and we’re trying to get that right mix with our batting order,” he said.

“We probably haven’t hit the mark yet but we’ve still got four games until finals and you want to be peaking come the end of the season.”

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Salerno said while the results hadn’t gone the Hurricanes’ way, there were silver linings to their performances.

“We got a lot of confidence out of the way we bowled in those first two games,” he said.

“We restricted the Dare Devils to about 50 off the first 10 overs, and then the rain set in and it was harder for our spinners to hold the ball.

“But, keeping them to 140-odd, we thought it was game on, then the rain came again and Duckworth-Lewis made it 107 off 14 overs.

T20 Barrier Reef Big Bash: Designer First Homes Dare Devils v Halpin Hurricanes at Griffiths Park. Hurricanes' Michael Salerno. Picture: Stewart McLean

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“Again, we thought we were in the game, but we probably just lost crucial wickets at crucial times.

“Even if you finish fourth, you’re still going to be playing finals, so there’s no need for panic stations, it’s just understanding some of those areas we need to tighten up with our batting, but we’re not too far away.”

The Hurricanes will have two chances to score their first win of the season this weekend, against the Thunder on Saturday, before a rematch with the Badgers on Sunday.

All four franchises will play another round of fixtures next weekend, before the qualifying and elimination finals are held on Sunday.

The preliminary final will be played on Friday, March 26, before the grand final on Saturday, March 27.

All games will be played at Griffiths Park 1.

WEEKEND DRAW

Saturday, March 13

2.30pm: Dare Devils v Badgers

6.30pm: Hurricanes v Thunder

Sunday, March 14

1pm: Badgers v Hurricanes

4.30pm: Thunder v Dare Devils

All games at Griffiths Park 1.

Originally published as Barrier Reef Big Bash: Hurricanes not hitting panic button despite poor starts