Hobart Hurricanes limp to win despite batting collapse

Hurricanes lost 5 for 14 and just about got over the line after restricting Melbourne Stars to 131 for 7 from their 20 overs

Hobart: Melbourne Stars 131-7, Hobart Hurricanes 133-8 - Hobart Hurricanes win by two wickets

Scorecard

Hobart Hurricanes limped past Melbourne Stars to end a run of two straight defeats and reignite their playoff hopes.

After eight games, Hurricanes were languishing in sixth place, four points away from the top four. But they eventually got over the line to register victory by two wickets to condemn the Big Bash's bottom team to a seventh defeat in nine matches.

Hobart looked like romping to an important win when they were 115 for 3 in the 15th over, but they contrived to lose their next five wickets in 19 balls before finally getting over the line through a Nathan Ellis inside edge past his stumps.

Hurricanes were indebted to the in-form Caleb Jewell. He smashed 70 off 44 balls as, like in Stars' innings, the majority struggled for timing, before he eventually fell to an agricultural heave off Liam Hatcher, who had already bowled Ben McDermott for two.

^{Melbourne Stars almost hauled themselves back into the game (Steve Bell/Getty Images)}

Zak Crawley made 30 but was caught at deep midwicket as he top-edged a slog-sweep off Clint Hinchcliffe. Crawley had earlier been dropped by Adam Zampa off his own bowling, with the Australia leg-spinner recovering to run out Tim David (3) comically in the process.

Hatcher picked up his third wicket when he castled Mitchell Owen (0), who missed with a wild swing, while D'Arcy Short (8) also went cheaply. Ashraf Faheem (0) then miscued to mid-on and Asif Ali (9) chipped to mid-off as a game that ought to have been done and dusted was given a thrilling ending that didn't look likely.

Captaining in place of the absent Matthew Wade, Ellis had earlier been terrific, ending with figures of 2 for 12 from his four overs as Stars crawled to a final total of just 131 for 7.

He was one of three bowlers to pick up two wickets, with Riley Meredith and Pakistan international Ashraf also claiming two apiece. For Ashraf, that was an important return to form after going for 61 runs in just 3.3 overs against Adelaide Strikers last week.

^{Hobart Hurricanes' middle order collapsed in a heap (Steve Bell/Getty Images)}

He accounted for Tom Rogers (2) and Hilton Cartwright (57), with Cartwright the only batter to find any rhythm for Melbourne, who were missing Marcus Stoinis, as well as long-term absentee Glenn Maxwell.

Joe Clarke was run out for four after a mix-up with Rogers, while Beau Webster chewed up the middle phase of the innings, making 27 off 35 balls, before chipping a Meredith slower ball to mid-off.

Nick Larkin struggled to get away and cut to backward point for nine off 11 deliveries, before James Seymour (20) gave some much-needed impetus in a seven-ball cameo. Had that late rally come a bit sooner, they might ultimately have had enough.

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