Twitter Reactions: D'Arcy Short and bowlers cruise Thunders to a victory

The Big Bash League (BBL) 2017-18 witnessed an entertaining and exciting game in the first match of a new year, played between Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes. Hurricanes cruised to a 9-run victory over the same opposition, they suffered a huge loss at the hands of a couple of nights ago. The template of the win was set by opener D’Arcy Short who played a match-winning knock and in the end, their bowlers held their nerves in a tight finish. For Thunders, Jos Buttler was the lone warrior fighting with the opposition bowlers as wickets kept spilling on the other end.

The Sydney Thunder skipper Shane Watson won the toss and decided to take the field. Hurricanes were dealt down with a crucial blow as opening batsman Alex Doolan was dismissed early on in the innings. But his young opening partner D’Arcy Short was in full flow and played attacking shots to set things up for his team towards a big first innings total. He compiled a crucial 58-run partnership with keeper Matthew Wade, who played a nice little cameo of 27 runs, after being promoted up the order in the batting line-up.

Short’s destructive innings inspires the Hurricanes

But after Wade’s dismissal, things worked in a more commanding and positive manner for the Hurricanes, as Ben McDermott took the attack to the opposition bowlers, especially the two spinners Arjun Nair and Fawad Ahmed, with some great striking at a healthy strike rate of close to 200.

The Thunder spinners have haunted the opposition batters so far in the tournament with their bagful of variations in the shortest format of the game. Towards the end, Short fell three runs short of a well-deserved century, getting dismissed for 97 runs off 63 balls. But his inspiring effort at the top helped his team post a huge total of 189 runs.

Buttler yet again provides the much-needed flying start

Like in the previous match against the same opposition a few days ago, Thunders opener Jos Buttler started things off in pretty similar fashion with his own destructive technique along with his opening companion Kurtis Patterson, as the pair added 69 runs for the opening wicket, after the latter was dismissed in the eighth over of the chase. But then the skipper Watson, who has had a terrific run in the tournament so far, joined Buttler at the crease to initiate the big chase set for the Hurricanes.

Watson and Buttler at one stage looked unstoppable and it seemed like the match was slipping away from the Hurricanes. But then leg-spinner Cameron Boyce led their comeback with two crucial wickets in an over.

They kept losing the way, as Buttler was trying his best to win it again for his team. But with 23 runs needed off the last over, the opener also got out on the first ball, dropping the stranded hopes of Thunders to rest. The bowlers held their nerves to guide the Hurricanes towards a 9-run victory.

Here is how Twitterati reacted during the course of the game: