Warner’s Heroic 130* in Vain as Tim Ward Powers Hurricanes Past Sydney Thunder

Hobart Hurricanes defeated Sydney Thunder by 6 wickets in the ongoing BBL 15. Despite David Warner’s stunning century in the first innings, Hobart Hurricanes came up with a fine response that stunned the Thunders team. Tim Ward was the star performer for Hobart Hurricanes, as his knock of 90 sealed the chase of 206 runs in the second innings.

Sydney Thunder would be disappointed by their bowling effort, as they failed to defend a big target in the second innings. They took only 4 wickets in the match, as Hobart batters kept them under consistent pressure by hitting boundaries regularly.

Batting first, Sydney Thunder endured their worst start of the current season by losing two wickets in the first over. The bowling brilliance of Will Prestwidge stunned Matthew Gilkes and Sam Konstas, as both batters got out on a golden duck.

These early blows made the dugout of Thunders quite nervous, but the veteran David Warner came up with a solid counterpunch. Having vast experience of T20 cricket, Warner knew exactly how to handle this tough situation. His counterattacking approach stunned the Hurricanes bowlers, as they lost the momentum in the Powerplay even after picking early wickets.

Warner built a steady partnership with Sam Billings to take the innings forward. He took the role of aggressor because of the better understanding of the surface that allowed him to play his shots freely. Even after the dismissal of Billings, Warner made sure to keep the scoring rate up by hitting big boundaries consistently.

The partnership between David Warner and Nic Maddinson was also impressive, as the duo played confidently to keep the pressure on Hurricanes bowlers. Warner utilized all his experience to negate the spin threat in the middle overs, as Rishad Hossain and Rehan Ahmed failed to knock him out with a combined effort.

By hitting big sixes consistently, David Warner then smashed a brilliant century at a superlative strike rate of 200. He was well supported by Daniel Sams at the other end, who also played a quick cameo of 14 runs in the final overs. Nevertheless, Warner’s unbeaten 130 runs stole all the limelight, as it allowed Sydney Thunder to score a huge total of 205 at the end of the first innings.

Positive Start by Tim Ward and Mitchell Owen

The response of Hobart Hurricanes in the second innings took Sydney Thunder by surprise. Their openers came out all guns blazing, giving the Thunder bowling attack a tough time in the Powerplay. The striking of Mitchell Owen was specifically breathtaking, as he smashed huge sixes consistently to give Hurricanes a solid advantage in the chase.

The other opener, Tim Ward, was equally impressive, as he kept the pressure on Thunders bowling lineup by playing aggressively. Even after Owen’s dismissal in the 9th over, he kept on playing positively to rotate the scoreboard.

Tim Ward was well set to score a century in the second innings; however, a fine delivery from Daniel Sams ended his innings in the 15th over. He got out after scoring 90 runs, hitting 10 fours and 3 sixes in total.

After the dismissal of Tim Ward, Nikhil Chaudhary and Mathew Wade took on the Thunders bowlers aggressively. By playing above the strike rates of 200, they smashed big sixes in the end to seal the chase quickly.

As a result, Hobart Hurricanes won the match by chasing 206 runs in just 17.5 overs. Their explosive opener Tim Ward was named Player of the Match, as his outstanding innings of 90 runs set the platform for Hurricanes to chase the Thunders total.