• Sydney Thunder defeated Melbourne Stars to enter BBL|12 playoffs.

  • Thunder will meet Brisbane Heat in the Eliminator.

BBL|12: Syndey Thunder beat Melbourne Stars in a thriller to set up Eliminator clash with Brisbane Heat
Sydney Thunder beat Melbourne Stars (Image Source: Twitter)

The last day of the league stage saw two thrilling matches in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23. Firstly, Hobart Hurricanes defeated Brisbane Heat in a low-scoring contest to keep their final hopes alive. But all the effort went in vain after Syndey Thunder got the better of Melbourne Stars to set up the Eliminator clash with Heat and got Hurricanes out of the race for playoffs.

In the 55th match of BBL|12, Hurricane struggled to put runs on the board after being asked to bat first as they were only able to reach 120/9 in their 20 overs. Macalister Wright was the top scorer for his side with 56 runs off 56 balls, including 5 fours and 1 six.

For the Heat, pacer Michael Neser came up with a strong performance, picking up a 4-wicket haul for 35 runs. Spencer Johnson also contributed with 2 wickets for 20 runs. In reply, Heat were unable to chase down the target, finishing at 118/8 in their 20 overs. Jimmy Peirson was their top scorer, with 39 runs off 37 balls, including 4 fours.

For the Hurricanes, Nathan Ellis produced a standout performance with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 26 runs. Faheem Ashraf also contributed with 2 wickets for 19 runs. The Hurricanes ultimately won the match by 2 runs and kept themselves alive in the playoffs race. But the scenario changed after Stars faced a 3-wicket defeat from Thunder in the second match of the day.

After opting to bowl, Thunder restricted Stars for 119/7 in 20 overs, with Usman Qadir picking up three wickets for 24 in his quota of 4 overs. Captain Chris Green also shined with the ball, taking a couple of scalps while conceding 19 runs in 4 overs.

In the chase, Thunder kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but they still survived and managed to grasp the victory. Daniel Sams smashed 28 off 18, including three fours and a six, to get his side over the finish line and set up the Eliminator clash with Heat, scheduled to take place in Sydney on Friday, January 27.

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