Twitter Reactions: Ben McDermott's blinder sets up a clinical victory for Hobart Hurricanes

McDermott kept the hunt on and looked set for his second BBL century, however, Tim David had his plans as he smacked 21 from 12 to finish things off with 14 balls to spare.

Published - 19 Dec 2020, 12:07 IST | Updated - 19 Dec 2020, 12:07 IST

2 Min Read

A rampaging, unbeaten 89 from 55, featuring 7 fours and 5 sixes, from Ben McDermott, guided the Hobart Hurricanes to a convincing six-wicket victory over the Melbourne Renegades at the Bellerive Oval in the 10th face-off of Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21. Electing to field first, the Hurricanes managed to strike early twice as they removed both the openers in the first couple of overs.

While Shaun Marsh lobbed up an edge off James Faulkner, to give Colin Ingram at extra cover an easy chance, his partner James Fraser-McGurk thick-edged one off Scott Boland to Peter Handscomb behind the wickets. The early jolts notwithstanding, Sam Harper and Rilee Rossouw came to the rescue of the team as the duo added a crucial 109 from 79 for the third wicket, negotiating the opponent bowlers smartly.

At the half-way mark, Renegades opted to sub out spinner Peter Hatzoglou to bring in Mackenzie Harvey, however, the plan did not bore too many fruits as Harvey did not bat, whereas the Hurricanes struggled to get the the scoreboard moving between overs 13 to 16. The Power Surge for the team materialized moderately as they scored 29, and Harper reached his fifty during the same phase. Nathan Ellis struck in the 15th over to get rid of Rossouw (59 from 40), and despite the recovery and the likes of Mohammad Nabi and Beau Webster to follow, the Renegades could reach only 157 for 5.

McDermott shines for Hobart Hurricanes

Josh Lalor provided an ideal start to his team with the ball as he ran through the gap between D’Arcy Short’s bat and pad to knock him over. Will Jacks, his partner, failed to contribute either as he tried to sneak a run and failed to cover his ground. Lalor showed some smart tactics too, as he kicked the ball to break the stumps and catch Jacks well out of his crease.

Contributions came from Colin Ingram and Tim David, however, it was McDermott who stole the show through his blinder knock, which became the guiding force behind the chase. He blasted off from one end and managed to pluck 23 runs in the 11th over to shift the momentum towards the Hurricanes. Striking boundaries at a regular interval, McDermott kept the hunt on and looked set for his second BBL century, however, Tim David had his plans as he smacked 21 from 12 to finish things off with 14 balls to spare.

Here are the best tweets

Form of his life #benmcdermott . . .
Now far away returning to international Aus Team . . #BBL10
— Prince Fan (@Ravianenenu) December 19, 2020

Loving Ben McDermott back in the @HurricanesBBL top order in #BBL10
— Matthew Taylor (@MattyA_Taylor) December 19, 2020

Brilliant knock from Ben McDermott – unbeaten 89 runs from 55 balls including 7 fours & 5 sixes while chasing 158 runs against Renegades. #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/ZNxHH9ZYyu
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 19, 2020

Ben McDermott has blasted 89* off 55 to chase down the Renegades' 157.
The Hurricanes are first to three wins in #BBL10.
— bet365_aus (@bet365_aus) December 19, 2020

Was a very good performance by @HurricanesBBL and especially MOTM Ben McDermott today. #BBL10 is looking good for us this season!
— Bowzaa (@BowzaaYT) December 19, 2020

ben Mcdermott is in hot form🔥🔥
— Shreyas R Rao (@SRRCricFan) December 19, 2020

Ben McDermott had the highest WPA with 35.8% for his 89 from 55 balls and also won player of the match guiding the Hurricanes to a win over the Renegades. Rilee Rossouw had the next best WPA with 17.2% for his 59 from 40 balls for the Renegades. #BBL10
— Richard Little (@alittlefitness) December 19, 2020

Ben McDermott must be steadily moving onto the radars of the higher ups.
A VERY good summer unfolding.
SShield: 7, 69, 28, 54, 46, 74, 5, 90, 90, 28*, 18, 50 (355 @ 59.16)
Aus A: 0, 105
BBL: 46, 89*
Thriving in long and short forms.
— Chris Rowbottom (@chrisroww) December 19, 2020