Hobart Hurricanes 3 for 148 (Short 60, McDermott 51*, Cooper 2-32) beat Melbourne Renegades 147 (Finch 50, Marsh 37, Ellis 3-15, Meredith 3-26, Faulkner 3-26) by seven wickets
An impressive show from the fast-bowling trio of Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith and James Faulkner backed up by a solid batting display by D'Arcy Short and Ben McDermott helped the Hobart Hurricanes consign the Melbourne Renegades to their third straight loss this season.
The strong performances from Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh with the bat were the only positives on the day for the visiting Renegades, who were treated to some disciplined bowling from the Hurricanes' quicks, who combined to take nine wickets. Finch fell soon after bringing up his fifty, and the Renegades batting disintegrated after that, the last six wickets falling for just 14 runs to finish on a below-par 147.
In reply, Short helped his side get off to a quick start. He was joined in the fourth over by McDermott, who played a patient innings, hitting just one four on his way to a half-century and staying till the end to take his side past the line.
Short, McDermott play it smart
Short's exploits in the format are well-known, and the opener had yet another impressive outing on the day. The top run-scorer of last season brought up his second fifty of the season, plundering the Renegades bowlers for seven fours and a six to lead the chase of the small target.
But it was McDermott's innings which stood out. Playing sensibly, the Hurricanes captain stuck to quick singles, especially against the spinners. He had come in after two quick wickets in the fourth over, and both batsmen slowed it down for a while, not attempting any big shots from the sixth to tenth overs.
When Short got to a 37-ball 50, McDermott was on 20 off 22 balls without a single boundary against his name. Shortly after their partnership crossed 70 runs, the Renegades got the breakthrough with Boyce striking Short's pads. But it did not set any alarm bells ringing for the Hurricanes, who needed 49 off 37 balls at that stage and had David Miller at the crease. While McDermott stuck to his plan, Miller helped reduce the equation further by smoking two sixes off Harry Gurney, one of which went out of the ground.
McDermott went on, bringing up his fifty off 47 balls at the end of the penultimate over, and the win was sealed soon after.
Finch and Marsh play their part
After Sam Harper holed out to Faulkner for a duck in the third ball of the match, Finch was joined by the in-form Marsh. The duo showed their fondness for spin as McDermott introduced left-arm spinner Clive Rose up front. His very first delivery was swept away to the boundary by Finch, and while he managed to keep the batsmen quiet for the rest of that over, he was taken for two more fours in his second.
Finch and Marsh took the total to 1 for 50 by the end of the powerplay, but the run rate gradually slowed down over the next three overs, with Meredith, Ellis and Qais Ahmed giving away just 18 runs. Marsh was eventually undone by Ellis' slower ball, which he hit straight to long-on. But Finch carried on, bringing up his 16th BBL half-century off 36 balls, hitting six fours on the way.
Hurricanes' quicks call the shots
Finch couldn't make it a big one, sent back caught trying to whip Meredith's full delivery over midwicket, and the Hurricanes did not let the opposition take the upper hand from there on. Ahmed pinned Beau Webster in front and it was one-way traffic after that. The quicks ran riot, combining to pick five wickets for just eight runs and bowl the Renegades out for 147. Ellis and Meredith, in particular, bowled with discipline, using changes of pace and probing lines to keep the Renegades quiet.
Merdith bowled the big 18th over and did superbly - getting Dan Christian to edge a short ball to the keeper and then pinning Tom Cooper in front with a near-145kph yorker. In the next over, Ellis bowled a slow short delivery that Cameron Boyce sent to long-on, and he then took out Richard Gleeson with an inch-perfect yorker. Faulkner came back to finish off the job in the first ball of the final over when he had Kane Richardson caught at mid-off.
