A Smash-Hit Big Bash Match

What a rattling night at the Docklands Stadium! We have witnessed history. Records were written, rewritten and smashed, all in just over three hours of some of the most manic hitting, the likes of which even T20 cricket has not been witness to very often. First, the Renegades put up the highest total in BBL history. Then, we saw the first century of the season. Then, Hurricanes snatched away the highest BBL total record from the Renegades in a manner that could not have been more emphatic. They pulled off the highest successful chase in the BBL and the joint fourth-highest successful chase in all T20 cricket. Thisara Perera conceded the second-most runs in one bowling performance in the BBL. In all, we witnessed 445 runs, 36 fours and 22 sixes, three half-centuries and one century, all in the span of 40 overs. Such was the magnitude of hitting that after a point, it did not matter who was bowling and what the ball was or what the field was, because no matter what anyone tried to do, the ball just kept disappearing into the stands. But let us not forget Sunil Narine. Amid a six-barrage and a shattering of batting records, he sent down a four-over spell that ended with figures of 3 for 27. Unfortunately for him and the Renegades, it did not prove sufficient.

Asim Mubashir: “Difficult to draw comparisons to this game, certainly one of the best amongst several T20s across many competitions across the world. Simply astounding!!!!!!”

Ben McDermott hit the first century of the 2016-17 Big Bash League, Melbourne Renegades v Hobart Hurricanes, BBL 2016-17, Melbourne, January 12, 2017

HH 223/8 (20.0 ov, SCJ Broad 11*, SL Rainbird 1*, SP Narine 3/27) – Match over | Live Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Melbourne Renegades 222/4 (20/20 ov)

Hobart Hurricanes 223/8 (20.0/20 ov)

Hobart Hurricanes won by 2 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)

Big Bash League – 24th match

Twenty20 match | 2016/17 season

Played at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne

12 January 2017 – night match (20-over match)

	Melbourne Renegades innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	MS Harris	c Wells b Christian	25	19	2	1	131.57
	4.4 lofts it through long-on and sends it straight down the throat of the fielder there. It was full and Harris walked across early, probably that did not give the room he desired. Wells takes it reverse-cupped in front of the boundary 42/1
	AJ Finch*	c †Paine b Short	63	40	6	2	157.50
	14.5 gets down for a huge slog sweep and skews it into the air off the top edge. The ball has been skied and seems to stay up for all of eternity. The midwikcet region is empty and several players run across to it, including wicketkeeper Tim Paine. He calls for it and settles under it before taking it fairly comfortably. But that was anything but easy 155/3
	CL White	c Wells b Reed	34	19	2	2	178.94
	11.6 tries to do the same thing as earlier by walking across the stumps and trying to heave it over the leg side. Does not middle it well this time and gets it off the bottom part of the bat, which means he gets elevation but not the distance. It seems momentarily as though it would carry all the way but Wells settles under it at deep square leg and snaffles it. What an entertaining innings from White 116/2
	TLW Cooper	not out	53	24	7	2	220.83
	CJ Ferguson	c Short b Reed	15	7	1	1	214.28
	17.2 slower full ball outside off, drilled hard off the front foot but chips the drive straight into the hands of mid-off. Struck quite well ut does not get enough elevation as he fails to pick the drop in pace 180/4
	NLTC Perera	not out	28	11	3	1	254.54
	Extras	(lb 1, w 3)	4
	Total	(4 wickets; 20 overs)	222	(11.10 runs per over)

Did not batSP Narine, PM Nevill†, JL Pattinson, XJ Doherty, GB Hogg

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Fall of wickets 1-42 (Harris, 4.4 ov), 2-116 (White, 11.6 ov), 3-155 (Finch, 14.5 ov), 4-180 (Ferguson, 17.2 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	SCJ Broad	4	0	39	0	9.75	(1w)
	SL Rainbird	3	0	37	0	12.33
	DT Christian	4	0	37	1	9.25	(1w)
	4.4 to Harris, lofts it through long-on and sends it straight down the throat of the fielder there. It was full and Harris walked across early, probably that did not give the room he desired. Wells takes it reverse-cupped in front of the boundary 42/1
	JK Reed	4	0	54	2	13.50	(1w)
	11.6 to White, tries to do the same thing as earlier by walking across the stumps and trying to heave it over the leg side. Does not middle it well this time and gets it off the bottom part of the bat, which means he gets elevation but not the distance. It seems momentarily as though it would carry all the way but Wells settles under it at deep square leg and snaffles it. What an entertaining innings from White 116/2 17.2 to Ferguson, slower full ball outside off, drilled hard off the front foot but chips the drive straight into the hands of mid-off. Struck quite well ut does not get enough elevation as he fails to pick the drop in pace 180/4
	CJ Boyce	4	0	36	0	9.00
	DJM Short	1	0	18	1	18.00
	14.5 to Finch, gets down for a huge slog sweep and skews it into the air off the top edge. The ball has been skied and seems to stay up for all of eternity. The midwikcet region is empty and several players run across to it, including wicketkeeper Tim Paine. He calls for it and settles under it before taking it fairly comfortably. But that was anything but easy 155/3

	Hobart Hurricanes innings (target: 223 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	DJM Short	b Cooper	18	11	1	1	163.63
	2.2 goes for the same sweep but this one is not full enough. It is on a length and he misses as the ball takes out off-stump. Loopy delivery, sliding in and the angle perhaps did him in as he cannot make contact on a wild attempt at a slog 19/2
	TD Paine*†	c Perera b Cooper	0	1	0	0	0.00
	0.3 Perera comes around it at deep midwicket and snaffles it without fuss. Gets down for the slog sweep and skews it off a thick edge. It was given just enough air and slightly quicker. Cooper picks out the deep midwicket region, skies the ball there and Perera runs a few steps to his left before completing good catch 1/1
	BR McDermott	lbw b Narine	114	52	8	9	219.23
	15.1 gone, McDermott perishes on the reverse sweep but what an innings. It was slightly short of a length and angling down leg. McDermott was looking to reverse sweep it and gets totally cramped for room. Wears it on the pad. Looked plumb though there was that lingering doubt if it would have missed leg. But the umpire does not think so and raises his finger 170/3
	GJ Bailey	c Harris b Narine	59	42	3	2	140.47
	18.6 picks out long-on. Flat-bats this length ball and that never looked like it was going to carry. Marcus Harris gets around it and slides as he snaffles it reverse-cupped 207/7
	DT Christian	lbw b Hogg	12	6	1	1	200.00
	16.5 plumb. Hogg has the last laugh. That looked out from the moment it hit the pad. It was fuller and quicker. Given the right amount of air. Christian got down to sweep but it was too straight and there was no way he was going to put bat to it. Gets pinged on the pad and the umpire raises his finger almost as soon as Hogg appealed 185/4
	JW Wells	b Hogg	0	1	0	0	0.00
	16.6 two in two. Double strike for Hogg, puts Renegades back into the contest. He’s on a hat-trick but he has to wait until the next game to try and achieve that. He’s done with his spell. Wells moved across and looked for the sweep shot but gets a long way away from the ball. Exposes all three stumps and the ball crashes into them after hitting him on the pad 185/5
	BJ Webster	c Cooper b Narine	0	2	0	0	0.00
	18.4 slog sweep. Length ball outside off, has to fetch it from there and does not get hold of it. Skews it off the top edge and the ball goes straight down the throat of Cooper at deep midwicket 205/6
	CJ Boyce	run out (Narine)	1	1	0	0	100.00
	19.2 from Perera, full and wide outside off, gets a thick outside edge as he throws his arms at it. Narine dives to his left and gets his hand to it and takes the momentum off the ball. It rolls away slightly and they think of charging back for the second. Narine recovers well and fires a direct throw at the keeper’s end. The batsman is short of his crease but it seems like the wicketkeeper’s glove may have touched the stumps and Boyce has been asked to wait. The third umpire has had a long, hard look at it and decides that the keeper has done fine there 209/8
	SL Rainbird	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
	SCJ Broad	not out	11	4	2	0	275.00
	Extras	(lb 3, w 3, nb 1)	7
	Total	(8 wickets; 20 overs)	223	(11.15 runs per over)

Did not batJK Reed

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Fall of wickets 1-1 (Paine, 0.3 ov), 2-19 (Short, 2.2 ov), 3-170 (McDermott, 15.1 ov), 4-185 (Christian, 16.5 ov), 5-185 (Wells, 16.6 ov), 6-205 (Webster, 18.4 ov), 7-207 (Bailey, 18.6 ov), 8-209 (Boyce, 19.2 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	TLW Cooper	2	0	12	2	6.00
	0.3 to Paine, Perera comes around it at deep midwicket and snaffles it without fuss. Gets down for the slog sweep and skews it off a thick edge. It was given just enough air and slightly quicker. Cooper picks out the deep midwicket region, skies the ball there and Perera runs a few steps to his left before completing good catch 1/1 2.2 to Short, goes for the same sweep but this one is not full enough. It is on a length and he misses as the ball takes out off-stump. Loopy delivery, sliding in and the angle perhaps did him in as he cannot make contact on a wild attempt at a slog 19/2
	XJ Doherty	3	0	30	0	10.00
	SP Narine	4	0	27	3	6.75
	15.1 to McDermott, gone, McDermott perishes on the reverse sweep but what an innings. It was slightly short of a length and angling down leg. McDermott was looking to reverse sweep it and gets totally cramped for room. Wears it on the pad. Looked plumb though there was that lingering doubt if it would have missed leg. But the umpire does not think so and raises his finger 170/3 18.4 to Webster, slog sweep. Length ball outside off, has to fetch it from there and does not get hold of it. Skews it off the top edge and the ball goes straight down the throat of Cooper at deep midwicket 205/6 18.6 to Bailey, picks out long-on. Flat-bats this length ball and that never looked like it was going to carry. Marcus Harris gets around it and slides as he snaffles it reverse-cupped 207/7
	JL Pattinson	3	0	47	0	15.66	(1nb)
	GB Hogg	4	0	45	2	11.25
	16.5 to Christian, plumb. Hogg has the last laugh. That looked out from the moment it hit the pad. It was fuller and quicker. Given the right amount of air. Christian got down to sweep but it was too straight and there was no way he was going to put bat to it. Gets pinged on the pad and the umpire raises his finger almost as soon as Hogg appealed 185/4 16.6 to Wells, two in two. Double strike for Hogg, puts Renegades back into the contest. He’s on a hat-trick but he has to wait until the next game to try and achieve that. He’s done with his spell. Wells moved across and looked for the sweep shot but gets a long way away from the ball. Exposes all three stumps and the ball crashes into them after hitting him on the pad 185/5
	NLTC Perera	4	0	59	0	14.75	(1w)

Match details

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Toss – Hobart Hurricanes
Points – Hobart Hurricanes 2, Melbourne Renegades 0

Player of the match – BR McDermott (Hobart Hurricanes)

Umpires – PJ Gillespie and P Wilson
TV umpire – JD Ward
Match referee – PL Marshall
Reserve umpire – S Brne