Wade, Ellis power Hurricanes to their fourth win

Matthew Wade produced a match-winning cameo under pressure as Hobart Hurricanes successfully chased down 163 to defeat Melbourne Renegades by four wickets with an over to spare at Hobart. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter smashed an unbeaten 43 off just 20 deliveries, striking four sixes, to guide the defending champions home after they had slipped to 94/5 in the 13th over.

Wade's heroics followed a strong bowling performance from Nathan Ellis, who took 3 for 30 to restrict the Renegades to what ultimately proved an under-par total despite some explosive hitting in the powerplay.

After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Ellis and his attack made immediate inroads. Josh Brown and Tim Seifert gave the Renegades a flying start, racing to 38 without loss inside three overs, with Brown particularly severe as he cracked 26 off just 13 balls. However, Ellis broke through with a clever slower ball that induced a leading edge, brilliantly caught by Rishad Hossain running back at short third.

The Hurricanes tightened their grip from that point. Mitchell Owen claimed Seifert's wicket with a well-disguised wide delivery that drew an edge to the keeper, reducing the visitors to 66/2. Mohammad Rizwan's attempted reverse sweep fell straight to Rehan Ahmed on the circle, and when Jake Fraser-McGurk's half-tracker pull found short fine leg off Rishad Hossain, the Renegades had collapsed from 38/0 to 95/4.

Oliver Peake (29 off 22) and skipper Will Sutherland (17 off 20) attempted a recovery, adding crucial runs in the middle overs. But Ellis returned to dismiss both in the death overs, while Riley Meredith took a sharp return catch to account for Andrew Tye. Gurinder Sandhu's unbeaten 16 helped push the Renegades past 160, but their innings had lost momentum after that blistering start.

The Renegades' defense received a huge boost from Adam Zampa, who produced a match-turning spell. After Mitchell Owen edged Andrew Tye behind in the fifth over, Zampa struck twice in the ninth over to leave the Hurricanes reeling. First, Tim Ward top-edged a slog sweep after hitting a six off the previous ball, caught at deep square leg for 30. Next ball, Zampa's perfectly-pitched googly defeated Ben McDermott comprehensively, crashing into off stump with the batter playing the wrong line.

Beau Webster, playing his first match back in Hurricanes colors after Test duties, looked fluent during his 27 off 20 before holing out to AJ Tye at mid-on off Gurinder Sandhu. When Nikhil Chaudhary was trapped lbw by Zampa for 19, the Hurricanes were five down with nearly 70 still required.

Enter Wade and Rehan Ahmed. The pair added a vital 38-run partnership that swung momentum decisively back in the Hurricanes' favor. Rehan played a sensible hand, his 23 off 14 balls, laced with three fours and a six, took pressure off Wade who was starting to find his rhythm.

Even after Hassan Khan had Rehan caught at deep extra cover in the 17th over, Wade had done enough to ensure the chase stayed on track. He found an able partner in Chris Jordan, and the pair coolly knocked off the remaining runs. Wade's innings featured two fours and four towering sixes, including crucial blows off Will Sutherland that broke the back of the chase.

The win takes Hobart to second place on the BBL ladder with four wins from five matches, continuing their ominous form at home where they've now won eight consecutive matches. For the Renegades, it was a case of what might have been. Despite Zampa's excellent 3/25 and the early collapse they engineered, their total proved insufficient. They remain in the bottom half of the table with just one win from three games, desperately needing to find consistency with both bat and ball as the tournament progresses.

Brief scores: Melbourne Renegades 162/9 in 20 overs (Oliver Peake 29; Nathan Ellis 3-30) lost to Hobart Hurricanes 163/6 in 19 overs (Matthew Wade 43; Adam Zampa 3-25) by four wickets