Matthew Wade delivered a cool-headed finishing masterclass as the Hobart Hurricanes sealed a four-wicket win over the Melbourne Renegades, completing back-to-back victories over the men in red this BBL season. Chasing 163, Wade’s unbeaten 43 off just 20 balls powered the Hurricanes home with an over to spare at Bellerive Oval.
It was a night of wasted starts for both sides, but Wade refused to join the trend. Adam Zampa threatened to turn the match with 3 for 25, including the key double-strike of Tim Ward and Ben McDermott in the ninth over to leave Hobart wobbling at 59 for 3. But a steady 38-run stand between Wade and Rehan Ahmed (23) rebuilt the innings before Wade took complete control, smashing three sixes and a four in the last eight balls to shut the door on the Renegades.
Earlier, the Renegades burst out of the gate as Josh Brown (26 off 13) and Tim Seifert (26 off 14) hammered 16 runs off the opening over to set an early tone. But the Hurricanes’ bowling unit hit back smartly, with Nathan Ellis (3-30) using clever changes of pace and Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain (2-34) striking at key moments to restrict the visitors to 162 for 9. Oliver Peake top-scored with 29, but no batter passed 30 as momentum kept slipping away.
With the victory, the Hurricanes climb to an impressive 4-1 record this season and look every bit a title contender. The Renegades, meanwhile, slump to 1-2 and will rue another night where bright starts failed to turn into match-winning scores.
