BBL | Hurricanes script record sixth straight win to knock out Renegades despite Bethell heroics

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk,SportsCafe Editor

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Hobart Hurricanes won their sixth game on the trot to soar to the top of the table and knock out Melbourne Renegades from playoff contention at the Bellerive Oval. Jacob Bethell's explosive 87 help set a target of 155 for the hosts but Matthew Wade and Tim David ensured victory in a tight finish.

Brief score: HH 155/6 (19.4) [Chaudhary 36(27), Wade 36(23); Bethell 2/29 (3)] defeat MR 154/7 (20) [Bethell 87(50), Seifert 24(23); Meredith 3/36 (4)] by four wickets

Opting to bowl first, Riley Meredith got Hobart Hurricanes off to a flying start by conceding just two runs in his opening effort before scalping Josh Brown and Marcus Harris in his next. The visitors added salt to their own wounds when a mix-up between Jake Fraser-McGurk and Jacob Bethell cost the former his wicket, leaving the onus on Tim Seifert and the Englishman to rebuild from a horrendous position of 24/3 after five overs. The Kiwi was content just rotating the strike as the Hurricanes' stranglehold grew but Bethell was his typical gung-ho self, as two boundaries off Mitchell Owen and 17 runs in Tim David's 10th over ensured his team stayed afloat at 64/3 at the halfway stage. However, it was Owen himself who broke the blooming 46-run partnership when Seifert finally tried to break the shackles and just nine runs in the 17th over -- the first of the Power Surge -- at the cost of Will Sutherland's wicket for a nearly run-a-ball 14 meant Bethell had his work cut-out having brought up a maiden BBL fifty off 38 deliveries. The youngster was up for the task and smoked two sixes to begin the second Power Surge over before replicating his effort against Meredith in the following over, adding a boundary for good measure. Even though Bethell's run-out on the first ball of the last over kept him from getting to a ton and limited the damage for the Renegades, it was still enough to set a competitive target of 155.

In response, Owen kicked off the chase in style by smashing Bethell for 17 in the opening over but things quickly devolved thereon. Caleb Jewell's six-ball struggle for one was ended by Fergus O'Neill in the third over before Owen himself fell victim to a runout immediately after the powerplay's end with the team score 36/2. The visitors utilized the momentum to cage the scoring rate and the pressure culminated in Charlie Wakim sweeping Bethell's first delivery of the eighth over straight down Tom Rogers throat after an 18-ball 12. Callum Stow furthered the hosts' misery by decimating Jake Doran's stump in the ensuing over and at the halfway stage, the Hurricanes found themselves reeling at 66/4. Nevertheless, Nikhil Chaudhary remained steadfast to keep the runs coming at par with the required rate, stroking two fours and as many maximums in his quick 36 to leave the team needing 50 in the last six. Meanwhile, Matthew Wade had been quietly moving along at the other end and the wicket gave him the license to go berserk, much to O'Neill's chagrin as he conceded 18 in the 15th over. The game looked dusted until Bethell provided another twist by having the wicket-keeper batter holed out in a brilliant 17th over while conceding only three runs, leaving the equation reeding 21 off three overs. However, Tim David held his nerves to take the game to the last over and remained unbeaten for a third game in a row to seal the victory for Hobart.

Wade looks in good touch!

Great reflexes!

He was doing it all alone for Renegades!

He loves to go there!!

No time wasted!

Tim David is some serious hitter!

They are built different here!

Yeah buddy!

They looks so good with the bat!

He comes in all for it!

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