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Video: Ben McDermott's blasts 'biggest hit in BBL history' out of Manuka Oval

Fans and commentators have been left gobsmacked by one of the biggest hits you will ever see in a cricket match.

Ben McDermott was in a mood.
Ben McDermott was in a mood.

Ben McDermott has teased BBL fans across the country, falling just short of the first century of the season as he took the Hobart Hurricanes to a six wicket victory over the Sydney Thunder with 12 balls remaining.

McDermott creamed 96 before he was dismissed off his 56th ball, plundering five sixes in some of the biggest hitting the BBL has seen.

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In fact, the commentators and fan believed it included the biggest hit the BBL has ever seen.

It was the last ball of the seventh over facing Nathan McAndrew when McDermott deposited the ball out of the ground on the full.

It was so big the six distance tracker couldn't even pick it up as it sailed out of Manuka Oval without hitting the roof, with the commentators speculating that it must have gone 120-130m.

"Oh wow," Brett Lee exclaimed. "That's in the hotel - that's out of here."

"That's in Lake Burley-Griffin," Mark Waugh said.

"That's as well as you'll ever see a cricket ball hit," Brad Haddin added. "Ben McDermott has got every bit of that. It's gone out of the whole Manuka Oval."

The ball was 146km/h on the speedo and Lee said it was "300 off the bat".

"That's the biggest hit ever, maybe, in BBL history," Mark Waugh suggested.

Waugh said it may even have had Lee covered when he landed a ball on the roof at the Gabba.

That was BIG!
That was BIG!

McDermott was understated after the game.

"I got it pretty nicely," McDermott said. "We started pretty slowly so it was a bit of a swing and hope and it just came right out of the middle. But it got me going, so it was great to hit the middle of the bat."

Waugh was still stunned after the game.

"He looked like he was on a golf driving range the way he was hitting the ball," he said. "I've never seen such power hitting. That was just brute force. Just lovely contact with the ball. Whenever it was in his arc he put it way over the fence. You don't hit it any better than that." 

Social media went nuts for the hit.

McDermott has scores of 89 not out, 91 and now 96 this BBL and was furious for getting himself out as he guided it to a short third man.

But it was some ridiculous hitting from McDermott with the win lifting the Hurricanes to second on the BBL ladder.

Sometime you just have to respect game.
Sometime you just have to respect game.

The Thunder were sent into bat but started well until the eighth over when Alex Hales, Oliver Davis and Usman Khawaja were all dismissed in one Scott Boland over.

It put a skid on the Thunder innings until Sam Billings cut loose with 50 off 34 balls as the Thunder reached 5/177.

The commentators believed it would be enough but McDermott's incredible hitting, which was ably supported by the World's No. 1 T20 batsman Dawid Malan who added a 28 ball 42.

The Hurricanes did it in a canter at the end of the day, winning with a full two overs left and moving from seventh to equal second on the ladder, locking it up with the Stars, Thunder after taking all four points.

Currently the Thunder stay in second, ahead of the Stars in third and the Hurricanes in fourth but all three are on 23 points.

Updates

Thunder set 178

The Sydney Thunder have set a competitive score but will it be enough?

When the Hurricanes came out, Will Jacks was out first ball, having been bowled by a stunning ball from New Zealand quick Adam Milne.

'Sorry Fergie': Waugh backs ruthless call

Mark Waugh has called for Callum Ferguson to call a premature end to his innings after he was struggling to hit the ball while the Sydney Thunder were trying to build a score.

The Thunder flew to 0/64 but the eighth over was brutal as Scott Boland took 3 wickets in five balls with Ferguson and Sam Billings needing to rebuild the innings.

At 3/78 off 10, Billings started to hit out, but Ferguson was stuck in quicksand.

It led to Waugh calling for Ferguson to retire his innings to bring big hitters Ben Cutting and Daniel Sams to the crease.

"He's hit a bit of a brick wall here Fergie," Waugh said.

"The last half a dozen balls or so he's been struggling to make contact."

Brad Haddin added that "The only reason they haven't taken the Power Surge is because he's still in. This is your rule Junior, retire someone now so you can bring Sams and Cutting in.

"Five runs off his last eight deliveries, I could easily call him in now," Waugh added.

Haddin: "It would make sense now."

"Sorry Fergie," Waugh concluded.

It didn't matter too much as Ferguson was out soon after for 23 off 24 balls, while Sam Billings brought up a 50 off 34 balls.

Ex-Australian star out of the Big Bash

He was known as 'The Finisher' when he was in Australian colours but James Faulkner has been forced to end his BBL|10 campaign early.

A nagging hamstring injury has forced him out of the tournament with the Hurricanes releasing a statement to say his BBL season was all but over.

"James Faulkner has left the BBL hub and returned to Hobart this afternoon, after re-aggravating his hamstring at training yesterday," the statement said.
"Faulkner initially injured his hamstring in the Hurricanes clash with the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on December 27. He had been progressing well with his rehabilitation, with an eye to be eligible for selection for the latter games of the tournament.

"Faulkner will undergo scans in Hobart to asses the extent of the injury at this point in time, and resume treatment back home.
"At this stage, it is unlikely that Faulkner will be able to take any further part in the tournament."

Read related topics:Sydney

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/big-bash/big-bash-2021-thunder-vs-hurricanes-news-scores-result-updates/live-coverage/8fe20bb554000f7eb50feac46102932c