Hobart Hurricanes deliver another dagger to Melbourne Renegades’ title defence with win at Blundstone Arena
A carefully calculated run chase has helped Hobart to a win over the Melbourne Renegades after the Hurricanes’ three-pronged pace attack shredded the reigning BBL premiers’ middle and lower order.
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HOBART’S three pronged pace attack blasted out the reigning BBL premiers before a carefully calculated run chase delivered another dagger to the Melbourne Renegades’ title defence.
The Hurricanes made it two wins from as many starts in their Christmas Eve Big Bash experiment, backing up last year’s victory against the Melbourne Stars with a seven wicket win over their cross town rivals this afternoon.
After Nathan Ellis (3-15) Riley Meredith (3-26) and James Faulkner (3-26) shredded the visitors middle and lower order to restrict the target to 148, D’Arcy Short (60 from 45 balls) and skipper Ben McDermott (51 not out off 48) guided the hosts across the line to leave them 2-1 at the beginning of the season.
Meanwhile the Renegades slipped to 0-3 and remain the only side in the competition yet to taste success.
On a good looking surface Melbourne was coasting in the 10th over courtesy of captain Aaron Finch (50 from 37) and boom recruit Shaun Marsh (37 off 30) before Ellis captured his maiden BBL wicket when Marsh holed out to long on.
However it was when Finch chipped Meredith to mid-wicket the delivery after bringing up his half century that the wheels came spiralling off.
His dismissal triggered a stunning collapse of 8-38, with the last six wickets falling for just 14 runs as Hobart’s seamers ran riot.
Ellis — who cost himself his breakthrough Twenty20 scalp in Moe when he bowled Nic Maddinson of a no-ball — found himself on a hat-trick when he removed Cameron Boyce then delivered the perfect yorker to bowl Richard Gleeson, before Faulkner wrapped up the innings by deceiving Kane Richardson with a slower ball.
“Obviously not the result we wanted in Moe the other day but it was a really good bounce back today, even though they got off to a bit of a flyer with the bat we dragged it back really well,” man-of-the-match Meredith said.
“If we can get it right in the powerplay and don’t have to drag it back we can take it to another level.”
The target always appeared under par on a ground notorious for high scoring and although the hosts only crossed the line with five balls spare, they were coasting after the loss of two wickets in two balls in a nervy start.
The experiment to elevate all-rounder Simon Milenko to opener failed when he perished for a six-ball duck, before Tom Cooper found himself on a hat-trick when Caleb Jewell was caught behind next ball.
McDermott and Short then crafted a 74-run partnership under little pressure but never let the run rate get out of hand, before import David Miller unleashed some of his devastating power for the first time to show why he was such a prized signing.
The South African blasted two sixes over the leg side on the way to an unbeaten 25 from 15 balls, the first a monster clubbed over mid wicket which sailed out of the ground and into Church St.
Meredith continues to garner attention across the country with his high octane pace — cricketing great Shane Warne is an admirer — but the quick is taking it all in his stride.
“All the boys are taking the piss out of me a little bit with what Warney is saying, every time he tweets something the boys are showing me, it is pretty funny,” he said.
“I have a bit of clarity with what I have to do and what balls I can bowl and different fields I can bowl too, I am pretty confident right now and hopefully I can keep going.”
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