Nathan Ellis hat-trick, Tim David's sixes hand Thunder their third straight loss
Hobart Hurricanes survive wobble to overtake Thunder for fifth place on the table
Tristan Lavalette15-Jan-2023
Tim David smashed 76* off 41 balls•Getty Images
Seamer Nathan Ellis claimed a hat-trick before Tim David powered Hobart Hurricanes to a vital five-wicket victory over slumping Sydney Thunder at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.After electing to bat in sunny conditions, Thunder never recovered from David Warner’s dismissal for a duck in the opening over. Quicks Ellis and Riley Meredith combined for six wickets, while emerging left-arm wristspinner Patrick Dooley claimed three scalps to bowl out Thunder for a modest 135.Hurricanes navigated several nervous junctures in their chase, with David smashing 76 off 41 balls as he finished the contest in the 17th over with his sixth six.The result meant Hurricanes leapfrogged Thunder to fifth place, who have lost three matches in a row.Fired-up Ellis and Meredith run through ThunderThere has naturally been a lot of excitement for Warner’s BBL comeback after an eight-year absence. He returned against Perth Scorchers on Friday and showed glimpses of his belligerent best before falling on 19.On what appeared a batting-friendly surface, Warner fell for a second-ball duck when he was clean bowled by a gem of a yorker from Meredith. Warner was completely beaten by pace in what was surely one of the best deliveries of this BBL season. Meredith, who rivals Lance Morris as the fastest quick in Australia, hit speeds around 150kmh in a lightning-quick burst.He wasn’t done with his pace enticing an edge from Sam Whiteman as Thunder soon slumped to 24 for 4.Ellis returned in the 15th over and immediately ended Ollie Davies’ rallying innings. On the next delivery he bowled Nathan McAndrew to claim a hat-trick having earlier dismissed Matthew Gilkes to end the fourth over.Ellis celebrated modestly and was seemingly unaware that he had joined Xavier Doherty as the only other Hurricanes player to have bagged a hat-trick.
Ellis and Meredith, who have both played international limited-overs cricket, issued a reminder of their talents to add to Australia’s embarrassment of pace options.In-form Davies plays a lone handThunder have blown hot or cold this season. They suffered the humiliation of being routed for 15 all out against Adelaide Strikers, but also have had several stellar wins including one against Scorchers in Perth.On Sunday, Thunder couldn’t get going against a disciplined Hurricanes attack apart from emerging 22-year-old Davies, who briefly rescued Thunder with a crisp 45 off 38 balls. He wisely started by knocking the ball around before showcasing his class with a six over extra cover off left-arm spinner Tom Andrews. But Davies narrowly fell short of what would have been his fourth half-century in five innings as Thunder again collapsed.Handy cameos from Ben Cutting and captain Chris Green ensured Thunder mustered a somewhat competitive total.David powers Hurricanes out of early troubleHurricanes’ chase started nervously and they slumped to 20 for 3 in the third over. It could have been worse with Wade reprieved on 3 when Davies dropped an easy chance at point off McAndrew.Wade, who returned after missing a match due to personal leave, then smashed a boundary on the next delivery and combined in a blistering 79-run partnership with David that belied Hurricanes’ tricky position.David started slowly before putting the foot down in the seventh over with a six on the leg side off Cutting. In a matter of deliveries, including consecutive sixes off spinner Usman Qadir, David put the Hurricanes chase on track. He reached his second BBL half-century and held his nerve amid a late wobble as Hurricanes kept their unbeaten home record intact.War of words erupt between teamsAt the drinks break with David amid a purple patch, a war of words erupted between skippers Wade and Green. It was unclear what the commotion was about, but led to a confrontation between Wade and Warner.Warner pushed Wade although it might have been in jest between two long-time team-mates for Australia.After the match, Wade and Green had a brief chat in better spirits and departed with a handshake and Wade was also seen chatting pleasantly with Warner.Allrounder Daniel Sams tried his best to keep Thunder in the match with canny variety to claim four wickets, including Wade and Asif Ali in the back-end, but it wasn’t enough.