Hurricanes seal home final with last-ball win; Heat, Australia sweat on Kuhnemann injury

Hobart Hurricanes 207 for 5 (Jewell 76, Owen 44, Johnson 3-26) beat Brisbane Heat 201 for 6 (Labuschagne 77, Renshaw 40, Ellis 3-42) by five wickets

Matthew Wade hit a six off the final ball as Hobart Hurricanes unleashed their considerable firepower in a superb chase of 202 to defeat Brisbane Heat in a pivotal result that kept alive the BBL finals hopes of three teams.

Openers Caleb Jewell and Mitchell Owen got Hurricanes off to a rampant start on a batting-friendly Gabba surface. After a late wobble, Hurricanes needed 11 runs off the final over and then whittled it down to requiring one off the final ball. Wade finished as the hero with a six off Xavier Bartlett that sailed over deep square leg.

It was Hurricanes’ seventh straight win and sealed a home final. It was a disappointment for Heat, who had posted a big score on the back of Marnus Labuschagne hitting 77 off 44 in his BBL return.

Their defeat was further soured by left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann injuring his right thumb late in the contest in a development that could have ramifications for Australia’s upcoming Test squad to Sri Lanka.

The result kept alive the slim finals prospects of Adelaide Strikers, Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades, who would have all been eliminated if Heat had won.

Owen ignites early, Wade the late hero

The elevation of Owen from the middle-lower order to opener has proven a masterstroke for Hurricanes this season. The powerfully-built Owen has had the licence to attack in the powerplay and once again he got Hurricanes off to a flier.

He whacked three sixes in his favoured leg-side region as Hurricanes motored to 47 for 0 after four overs. Owen was running hot and, bizarrely, a fire started in the DJ booth in the terraces.

There was a brief delay as nearby fans had to be evacuated, but Owen did not lose his rhythm on resumption. He whacked legspinner Mitchell Swepson for a trio of blows into the crowd in the sixth over before holing out for 44 off 20 balls.

After Charlie Wakim was stumped for a duck in a tight call, Jewell and Nikhil Chaudhary combined for an 81-run partnership to get Hurricanes back on track. Jewell batted beautifully with several gorgeous strokes through the covers as Hurricanes gained the ascendency by the time they took the Power Surge in the 16th over.

But the match turned with Chaudhary and Jewell dismissed in the Surge and it came down to a nerve-jangling final over.

Wade and Jake Doran had to combat slower deliveries from Bartlett before Wade swept a faster paced ball into the crowd to seal a stunning result that had wider ramifications.

Heat’s mixed fielding effort, Kuhnemann injury scare

Heat were outstanding with the ball and in the field during their championship run last year. But they’ve been ragged as this season has worn on and were left to rue several dropped catches.

Nathan McSweeney was the main offender with three dropped catches, including Owen and Jewell early in their innings. In his defence they were tough chances, and he did almost make up for it with brilliant efforts to dismiss Jewell and Chaudhary. Swepson also clung on to a blinder to dismiss Tim David, but it wasn’t enough.

There will be a nervous wait over the fitness of Kuhnemann, who ran off the field with one ball left in his final over after being hit on his right thumb by a firm drive from Wade.

Newbie Bean strikes in professional debut

In a blow for Hurricanes, quick Billy Stanlake was ruled out for the remainder of the season after he suffered a shoulder injury in the outfield against Renegades.

Left-arm quick Marcus Bean had the big shoes of Stanlake to fill. It loomed as a tough initiation for the native Queenslander in his first professional match after being plucked out of club cricket in Tasmania.

Skipper Nathan Ellis handed the 21-year-old beanpole, pardon the pun, the new ball, but he made a nervous start after bowling a wide. He sprayed his next delivery but McSweeney could only toe the ball straight to cover in an ugly dismissal.

Bean, sporting a wispy moustache and bleached blonde hair, was naturally ecstatic as he pumped his fist and let out a scream in understandable jubilation. Bowling sharply around 135 kph, he bowled a cracking back-of-a-length delivery that beat Labuschagne.

By the end of his debut, Bean bowled in four different phases and equipped himself well to finish with 1 for 32 from 4 overs.

Labuschagne shines in sole BBL appearance

There was a lot of expectation over the returns of Labuschagne and skipper Usman Khawaja, who were both playing their sole BBL matches of the season.

Khawaja tried to make up for lost time with a first ball boundary. He then showcased the type of inventive batting more befitting of his new Test opening partner Sam Konstas with a scooped six off Ellis followed by lapping a full toss to the boundary.

Khawaja raced to 23 off 8 balls before being deceived by a superb slower delivery by Ellis. In came Matthew Renshaw, who overshadowed Labuschagne with a rapid 40 to dominate the 69-run partnership.

Renshaw’s improved power-hitting was again on show as Heat rattled along at a run rate of 10 per over. But he was left frustrated after being run out at the keeper’s end attempting a second run.

Heat went through a lull in the middle overs until taking the Power Surge and blasting 33 runs across the 15th and 16th overs. Labuschagne took over as he mixed traditional strokes with inventiveness to slam quick Riley Meredith around the ground.

Labuschagne has a modest BBL record, but clearly relished – much like Steven Smith – the freedom of T20 cricket after a gruelling Test summer. He notched his second BBL half-century off 31 balls and combined with Tom Alsop in an innings-turning 85-run partnership.

Labuschagne reached a new BBL personal best score before being dismissed off the last ball of the innings.

Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth

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Over 20 • HH 207/5

Hurricanes won by 5 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)