Hobart Hurricanes secure spot in BBL final after 7 years
What's the story
The Hobart Hurricanes have made it to the Big Bash League (BBL) final for the first time in seven years.
The team's win was largely due to Riley Meredith's brilliant opening spell, which proved vital in keeping the Sydney Sixers at bay from a late rally.
The Sixers were chasing a target of 174 runs at Bellerive Oval, but fell short by 12 runs, despite a valiant effort from Kurtis Patterson, Jordan Silk, and Lachlan Shaw.
Match highlights
Meredith's fiery spell rattles Sixers's batting line-up
One of Australia's fastest bowlers, Meredith's fiery spell left the Sixers reeling at 5/3.
He dismissed opener Josh Philippe for a duck in the opening over with a short delivery clocked at 150 kph.
His third over saw captain Moises Henriques edging to first slip where Ben McDermott took an impressive catch diving to his left.
Cameron Gannon also contributed significantly with 2/10 from three overs in his second BBL match after being an injury replacement for Billy Stanlake.
Game turnaround
Silk, Patterson's efforts fall short in Sixers's chase
Despite a disastrous start, the Sixers slowly got back into the game due to a 75-run partnership between Patterson and Silk.
Patterson, who has enjoyed a career revival in the Sheffield Shield, batted fluently and brought up the Sixers's 50 with a six after dispatching legspinner Peter Hatzoglou for six over deep midwicket.
However, his dismissal on 48 in the 12th over and Silk's departure with the Sixers needing 31 off nine balls proved too much for big-hitter Ben Dwarshuis.
Scoring boost
Owen, David's power hitting boosts Hurricanes's score
Mitchell Owen, famous for his power hitting in the powerplay, smashed 36 off 15 balls to give the Hurricanes a strong start.
However, after his dismissal immediately after the powerplay and Matthew Wade's early departure due to Edwards's brilliance in the field, the Hurricanes were forced to rebuild with Caleb Jewell and McDermott struggling for boundaries in the middle overs.
Tim David then stepped up with late fireworks, hitting 25 off just 10 balls as Hurricanes finished strongly on 173/7.
Information
Hurricanes reach their 3rd BBL final
This is the 3rd time Hobart Hurricanes have reached the final of BBL. They lost their previous two finals in 2023-14 and 2017-18 respectively.