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.

More to follow

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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