WATCH, BBL 2023 | Josh Phillippe nails double-handed forehand with aplomb for spectacular boundary

12/11/2023

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T20 cricket has cemented itself as the cornerstone of creativity in cricket with players looking every which way for inspiration to improve their game. Josh Philippe certainly seemed to have been focusing on his tennis as he channeled his inner Nadal on Monday to strike a gorgeous boundary.

‌Runs proved hard to come in the Big Bash Clash between Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers at the University of Tasmania Stadium on Monday as the latter trudged along to the paltry target of 136. However, Sixers' opener Josh Philippe proved hitting boundaries was no impossible task on the difficult deck as he took down compatriot Nathan Ellis with an authoritative shot early in the second innings.

The speedster steamed in to bowl the second ball of his first over and banged in a delivery short and wide of off to take the wicket-keeper batter by surprise. Philippe, meanwhile, seemed to have been waiting for the opportunity as he purposefully cleared his front leg before swatting the shoulder-height ball over mid-on for a one-bounce four, much to the crowd's delight. While the shot seemed eerily similar to a double0handed forehand the likes of Rafael Nadal and Monica Seles would play, Ricky Ponting in the commentator's box likened the stroke to a baseball hit given the sheer ferocity with which it was struck as well as the cross-batted whiplash action.

Philippe eventually fell victim for 16 to a soft dismissal off Corey Anderson's bowling on the penultimate ball of the sixth over but seemed to have already given fans something to rave about.