Brisbane back in finals spots with 12-run win
The surging Brisbane Heat have shot to fifth in the KFC BBL|12 standings with a third-straight win.
Setting Hobart 163 for victory at the Gabba on Friday night, the Heat looked home until Tim David teed off in a 20-run 18th over.
With the Hurricanes needing 18 off the last over, 27-year-old rookie quick Spencer Johnson held his nerve.
Johnson comes up clutch to close out Heat victory
Three times David (44 off 27) was beaten, the big-hitter unable to find the rope and the Hurricanes finishing 12 runs short to allow the Heat to jump them and the lagging Adelaide Strikers into fifth.
Matt Renshaw continued his hot summer with a team-high 41 off 31 balls and three tight overs of off-spin that yielded a wicket and created pressure that led to the key scalp of Hurricanes gun Matthew Wade (44).
Neser’s timely three stalls Hurricanes’ chase
Michael Neser (3-27) was again influential while James Bazley chimed in with the big wicket of Wade, who couldn’t get going on a slow Gabba wicket.
David hit two of the four sixes across the night, the Heat scrambling to 6-162 thanks to 11 Hobart wides.
The Hurricanes were sluggish early as well but only needed about nine an over at the halfway point to notch their first away win of the season.
Meredith has batters jumping in sharp opening spell
Regular wickets hurt them though, before David took it upon himself to lift the Hurricanes over the line.
But he didn’t count on Johnson’s composure, the left-armer producing accurate 145kph thunderbolts under immense pressure to continue his breakout season after injury cruelled his initial foray into top-level cricket seven years ago.