BBL 2019-20 | Hurricanes vs Heat - Ask Me Anything ft Tom Banton’s performance and David Miller’s misery
Wouldn’t it be brilliant to miss a match completely and unravel every detail one by one by asking questions? Oh well, you’ve got your wish granted. A while ago, I had an interactive AMA session with fans regarding the match where they shot their doubts and questions at me, and I shared my opinion.
Who won the toss?
It was the home team, Hurricanes, that won the toss and they interestingly opted to bowl first. I was quite taken aback by the decision, considering how poor the Heat have been this season whilst chasing (3/3 games lost).Â
Oh, Heat batted first? Did Tom Banton light up the stage then?
Unfortunately no, it was yet another disappointing outing for the youngster. 8 runs was all he could manage, before skying one to Nathan Ellis at the cow-corner boundary.Â
The Heat batsmen lost 8 wickets in the last 2 games versus spinners. Were they bamboozled by spin once again today?
To everyone’s pleasant surprise, NO. In fact, in a total of 10 overs versus spin today, they scored a mammoth 103 runs, losing just two wickets in the process. Impressive, isn’t it?
Wow. 103/2 versus spin? That is impressive. How much did they end up scoring and who was the highest run-getter?
The Heat ended up with 212/3, the third-highest score in BIG BASH LEAGUE HISTORY! And oh, no surprises as to who was their top-scorer. It was Chris Lynn, who struck an unbeaten 88* of 55 with 11 fours and 3 sixes. This was also his ELEVENTH 75+ score in BBL history, 5 more than any other player.Â
Ah, that’s nice. So if Lynn scored the bulk of the runs, I’m assuming that Max Bryant failed once again?
That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo. Our boy Bryant bullied the bowlers today, and after scores of 6, 1, 6 and 11 in the first 4 matches, he finally turned up the heat today, scoring a 36-ball 65. Personally, I loved this hit from him.
Was there anything positive at all that came out from the Hurricanes bowling?
Frankly speaking, nil. James Faulkner limped off after just two overs, and no bowler - not even mystery man Qais Ahmed - was spared by Lynn & Co. If anything Riley Meredith, who finished with figures of 1/38 off his 4, was the pick of the bowlers for them. In fact, they were equally bad in both halves - they conceded 100 in the first 10 and 112 in the last 10.Â
So how did the Hurricanes openers respond? Did they believe that the chase was possible?
They started the chase off brilliantly - they raced off 46 in just 4.3 overs. Caleb Jewell, in particular, played a breathtaking cameo, scoring 27 of just 16 balls. But then he perished to the bowling of Mark Steketee and things kind of stalled for the home team after that.
Oh, then I’m assuming D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott took the chase deep for the Hurricanes?
They’d have loved for it to happen, but unfortunately, their partnership just lasted 33 runs. They perished in quick succession post the partnership. Oh, and you should check out this amazing delivery from Renshaw (yes !!) that castled Short. I loved his celebration.
I’m a big fan of this new Afghan lad Zahir Khan. How did he fare?
Oh he was brilliant. One of his more expensive spells, but I’m assuming any captain in the world would take figures of 1/33 off 4 overs from his spinner whilst defending 213.Â
Please tell me David Miller fired?
I’m sorry to disappoint you, my friend. All he could manage was 23 runs and six of those runs came thanks to a Max Bryant howler. I don’t know what has happened to Miller, but this is definitely not the Miller I knew 3-4 years back. Buyer’s remorse for the Hurricanes, perhaps?
Oh boy. Was there anything interesting about this Hurricanes chase at all?
Moments of brilliance were few and far between. But yes, there was a phase between the 14th-16th over where #OurGeorge George Bailey smacked two humongous sixes. Oh and Clive Rose played a brilliant cameo towards the end, too, scoring 27 off 13 balls. That was quite a sight. Ben McDermott smoked a few out of the park earlier in the innings too, but apart from that, it was one-way traffic. The Heat steamrolled over the Hurricanes.
How bad was the margin of defeat?
181/9 was all the Hurricanes managed to score, meaning they lost the match by 31 runs. An underwhelming performance, if there ever was one.Â
What do you think was the turning point of the match?
Personally, I felt that the match was out of the Hurricanes’ hand after they conceded 212 bowling first, but if I were to pick one moment, it would be Ben McDermott’s dismissal. The Hurricanes believed big time when the two of them were at the crease, but post McDermott’s dismissal, it all came crashing down for them. Either way, it was an inept performance from the home team with both bat and ball.Â
Any thoughts on this match? Anything you’ve interpreted from it?
I mean, the BBL is unpredictable, yes, but a few things were crystal clear. For starters, Chris Lynn is the best and the most destructive batsman the BBL has ever seen, let’s not even debate that. Matt Renshaw is also becoming an extremely handy utility player in this format. He was impressive. And coming to the Hurricanes, they have problems, big problems, in their batting and they would need to fix it ASAP. Miller’s dismal form is a major concern for them. The future does not look so bright for them.Â
So how has this match affected the points table?
This was a HUGE win for Brisbane Heat, who have now rocketed to fifth place, just 3 points shy off a top four spot with a game in hand. Hobart have moved down to second from bottom and unless something dramatic happens, it looks likely that they will miss out on a knockout spot this season.Â