Perth Scorchers hammer Hobart Hurricanes by 9 wickets to win their 5th BBL game in a row
Perth Scorchers continued their winning streak as they defeated Hobart Hurricanes by 9 wickets in the latest BBL fixture. With this win, the Scorchers have now won five games in a row.
The win was set up by their bowlers as the Hobart Hurricanes were restricted to 139-5 in their designated 20 overs. During the chase, Perth Scorchers didn't even break into a sweat as they won the game at a canter.
Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone give Perth Scorchers their 5th BBL win
With the Hobart Hurricanes defending a small total, early wickets were always going to be important. However, D'Arcy Short dropped Liam Livingstone on the first ball of the second innings at backward point. After that, Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone didn't give them a sniff as the opening duo set up a partnership of 123.
The two took limited risk and put up 44 runs in the first six overs. Jason Roy especially looked in good touch, and he was the major contributor between the two early on. Livingstone soon joined the act when he smashed 2 sixes and a four off debutant Mitch Owen's first over in the BBL.
Liam Livingstone brought up his first 50 of the BBL season in 37 balls. Later, Scott Boland dismissed him, but that turned out to be a mere consolation for the Hurricanes as the Scorchers won with 22 balls to spare. Jason Roy remained unbeaten on 74 off 52 balls.
A collective bowling effort stifles the Hobart Hurricanes
After winning the toss and batting first, the Hurricanes were off to a torrid start as they lost Ben McDermott and Dawid Malan inside the first four overs. McDermott is currently the top scorer in the BBL, but Jhye Richardson got the better of him.
Captain Peter Handscomb could only contribute with a run-a-ball 13 before being dismissed by Fawad Ahmed. The Hurricanes huffed and puffed to reach 50-3 in 10 overs — their lowest score at this stage in this season's BBL.
They got some lift after taking the BBL Power Surge in the 11th over, and the two overs yielded 24 runs.
D'Arcy Short held the Hurricanes innings together as he managed 54, before being dismissed by Aaron Hardie. Tim David's 31* off 23 balls included two sixes off Fawad Ahmed. His effort brought some respectability to the Hurricanes' total, but they were always short of runs given the sluggish start they had.
One setback for the Perth Scorchers was Mitchell Marsh's injury as he was substituted after he injured himself while bowling his first over.
It was a collective bowling effort from Ashton Turner's men as Jhye Richardson finished with figures of 1-23, Fawad Ahmed with 1-24, Jason Behrendorff with 1-21, and Andrew Tye with 0-24.
Perth Scorchers continued with their red hot form and chased the total comfortably to move to the third spot on the BBL points table.
Brief BBL score: Hobart Hurricanes 139-5 (Short-54, Hardie 2-36). Perth Scorchers 140-1 in 16.2 overs (Roy 74*, Boland 1-26). Scorchers won by 9 wickets.