Big Bash League: Perth Scorchers fall to Hobart Hurricanes in Optus Stadium Boxing Day blockbuster

Perth Scorchers have let slip a golden opportunity as Hobart Hurricanes overcame a hamstring injury to star WA master-blaster Tim David to triumph by five wickets in their Boxing Day blockbuster at Optus Stadium.

In front of Perth’s biggest Boxing Day crowd of 42,620, the game went down to the wire thanks to late-game heroics from Hobart duo Macalister Wright (22 runs off 13 balls) and Chris Jordan (15 from 11).

The pair needed 31 off 18, then 20 off 12 and finally four off the final over, as a four and a six from Wright off Aaron Hardie’s costly bowling down the stretch put them in prime position entering the final six deliveries.

There was late drama when Jordan was caught with the Hurricanes needing two runs from four, but Nathan Ellis hit the winning runs next ball.

Perth bowled efficiently for long stretches, but with Hobart needing 94 at the halfway point of their chase, local boy David emphatically stepped up to the plate with 42 runs from 28 balls.

Scorchers star Laurie Evans twice dropped David in quick succession, before the Hurricanes star was forced to leave the field after appearing to tweak a hamstring.

Both sides went through significant spells of boundary droughts; after the early power-hitting of Mitch Marsh (16 off 13) and Finn Allen (43 off 23) got Perth off to a fast-start but in the wake of Allen’s leave, Perth hit just one boundary from the ensuing 28 balls as unease set in around the Furnace.

And Hobart then went 43 balls without a boundary to leave them at 3-57 before they triggered the power surge and David hit his stride.

Cooper Connolly showed a different dimension to his game as he took three wickets, while Joel Paris, Brody Couch and Mahli Beardman all had economical spells.

But they will rule their bowling late, coupled with their own uneven batting performance which restricted them to 8-150.

Hurricanes openers Mitch Owen and Tim Ward had been quick departures for six and four respectively, before their leading run-scorer Ben McDermott was trapped LBW by Connolly.

When Tim David’s massive six snapped a seven-over streak without a boundary, the Hurricanes faced a mountain to climb as they arrived at the 10-over mark at 3-57.

But Hobart promptly took their power surge and David obligingly pulled the ball over mid-wicket for six and one over later, Hardie’s first over with the ball went for 17.

This included his first two balls being called no balls and costing six runs all up, before Evans was unable to corral a high David shot and then inadvertently kicked the ball over for four.

One over later, David again skied a ball and once more Evans raced after it, but the on-rushing Turner bumped into him as he attempted to finish the catch and the ball rolled harmlessly away.

Nikhil Chaudhary’s exit after 34 from 30 for LBW by Connolly made the game interesting and with six overs to go and Hobart were at 4-102.

But despite David soon called for medical assistance after appearing to tweak a hamstring, their lower order did enough to get the job done.

In contrast to his first season in Perth, Allen was a measure of reassurance at the crease, as he worked through the gears — so much so that even the wicket of Connolly for just six did not elevate stress levels.

Having earlier blasted Rishad Hossain for six, the Kiwi then went to work on Ahmed as he sent back-to-back balls over the rope – but the same shot proved his undoing when he departed on 43 when his attempted six ended in Jordan’s grateful mits.

Allen’s departure left the Scorchers with a void to fill and Perth were 4-83 at the half-way mark, but added just eight over the next three overs.

The power surge’s impact was immediate as Evans ended their boundary drought with a four and Hobson responded in kind to nudge Perth into three figures.

Evans hit two more fours from Jordan’s last two as part of an 18-run over, before Hobson made it four fours in as many balls as the start of the following over and suddenly the Scorchers found themselves at 5-117.

The fightback continued as both Evans and Hobson moves past 20 each, but one ball after a sumptuous six, the Englishman’s enjoyable innings ended when he was stumped by Ben McDermott.