The home side raced to what appeared a tough target inside 15 overs amid heady scenes in Hobart
Tristan Lavalette27-Jan-2025Mitchell Owen had a rollicking Bellerive Oval crowd in the palm of his hands and capped a breakout season with the equal-fastest BBL century as Hobart Hurricanes powered to their first title in style.Hurricanes needed a seemingly tricky 183 runs, but they achieved the highest chase in a BBL final with ease after Owen produced an innings for the ages. He reached his century off 39 balls – within 10 overs – and finished with 108 off 42 including 11 sixes.Related
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Ben McDermott and Matthew Wade finished the job as Hurricanes rolled to a seven-wicket victory with 35 balls to spare.It was a disappointment for Thunder, who started brightly after being sent it with a 97-run opening partnership between captain David Warner and Jason Sangha before they were pegged back by quicks Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith.Warner fell short of being a winning captain less than six months after having his lifetime leadership ban overturned.Owen decimates ThunderAs Hurricanes started their chase, ESPNcricinfo’s predictor had Thunder at a 61% chance of winning. It wasn’t long for Hurricanes to surge into heavy favourites after Owen’s whirlwind. After four overs, Hurricanes were 74 for 0 with Owen 58 off 18 balls having smashed six monstrous sixes and five boundaries.The promotion of seam bowling allrounder Owen from the middle-lower order to opener has been a masterstroke. Owen saved his best for last as he backed his successful formula of swinging hard and muscling the ball over hapless fielders.Mitchell Owen celebrates a stunning century•Getty Images
There was no stage fright for Owen as he got rolling by launching quick Nathan McAndrew over deep midwicket for six then hitting consecutive boundaries in an opening over yielding 23 runs.Warner reverted to the reliable option of left-arm spinner Tom Andrews, but Owen was undaunted and smashed a huge six over deep midwicket. He then continually thumped quick Wes Agar as he soon motored to his half-century off 16 balls – the third fastest in tournament history.There was no let up even with the fielding restrictions eased as he continued his assault. With giddy fans chanting his name, Owen eyed the fastest BBL century – a record set by Craig Simmons in 2014. He couldn’t break it, but he matched the long-standing mark to earn a standing ovation as he lapped up the applause. Owen finally fell in the 11th over but the damage was done.His heroics will certainly gain attention far and wide – from the national selectors to other franchise leagues.Thunder’s attack have no answers, Sangha tries his bestTo be fair, few attacks could probably have stopped Owen in that zone. But Thunder started sloppily and continually bowled right in his favoured hitting arc.They slumped in the field too with Matthew Gilkes at cover dropping opener Caleb Jewell on 5 and Warner in the same sequence missing a chance to run out Owen at the bowler’s end.The only bright spot was legspinner Tanveer Sangha, who finished the season strongly having bowled well since returning to the side after injury. He claimed Jewell and Nikhil Chaudhary in the eighth over to give Thunder hope before he succumbed to the Owen show.Ellis hauls Hurricanes back with superb slower deliveriesOvershadowed by their belligerent batting order, Hurricanes’ versatile attack has been just as important but nothing worked in Thunder’s opening 10 overs. Meredith was counterattacked with the new ball, while spinners Peter Hatzoglou and Chaudhary, both so miserly this season, were under an avalanche from Warner and Sangha.The drinks break came at an opportune time for Hurricanes and Ellis put the onus on himself to get his team back in the contest. He did exactly that by nicking off Warner before on the next ball completely deceiving Gilkes with a trademark slower delivery.Nathan Ellis struck twice in one over to change the game•Getty Images
Ellis came close to securing a hat-trick when Sam Billings nervously drove just short of mid-off, but he continued to have an impact. He made the right move in the 15th over and deployed Meredith, who justified the decision with a cracking yorker to clean bowl Billings.Ellis proved why he is right on the fringes of Australia’s white-ball teams with superb execution in the latter overs, dismissing Sangha with another slower delivery at a crucial time before the power surge. He then conceded just six runs in the second over of the power surge to finish a stellar season in style with 3 for 23 from 4 oversSangha and Warner silence crowd initiallyAll eyes were on Warner, but he was initially overshadowed by Jason Sangha who was playing just his third BBL game of the season. He made an impact at the top of the order in his return against Sydney Sixers in the Challenger, bolstering a thin Thunder batting order.After a cautious start, Sangha went after Meredith in the third over. Meredith had shaken up Sixers’ top-order in the qualifying final, but Sangha decided to meet fire with fire. He rocked on the back foot and hammered a six over deep square before smashing a boundary through backward point.Thunder got through the powerplay wicketless for just the second time this season. Sangha scored 30 of 40 runs before Warner got in on the act after the fielding restrictions were eased. He was inventive and reversed lapped Hatzoglou before reverse sweeping seamer Chris Jordan over gully. A feature was Warner’s running, racing between the wickets with such speed to belie his advancing age.Warner and Sangha continued to mix power with placement as they got through to drinks with Thunder well paced at 97 for 0. But Thunder could not capitalise on their platform and their lack of batting depth was exposed. Chris Green added a couple of vital boundaries in the last over, but it proved ultimately nowhere near enough.