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Matthew Wade. (Photo by Mark Brake CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

Hobart Hurricanes locked horns with Adelaide Strikers in a crucial encounter at Adelaide Oval. In a high voltage game both the sides gave some astonishing performances. In the end, the Hurricanes won the game by a margin of 10 runs. This win also helped them in qualifying into the playoffs of BBL 2019-20.

Earlier, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat first and their openers helped them in getting off to a flying start. Matthew Wade and DArcy Short opened the innings for Hurricanes with an aggressive approach. They made the mockery of the bowlers and smashed them all across the park. Wade managed to pull off his first BBL ton and he also stitched a record-breaking partnership of 203 runs with Short for the first wicket.

Wade played a swashbuckling knock of 130 runs off 61 balls studded with 11 boundaries and seven massive sixes. He was well supported by Short from the other end, who muscled 72 runs off 55 balls with four boundaries and as many sixes. The duo set the stage on fire and the hosts bowlers looked quite helpless and ineffective.

The 17th over of the innings bowled by Wes Agar turned out to be the most expensive of the innings in which Wade and Short collected 25 runs with three sixes and a boundary. In the end, the Hurricanes successfully posted a mammoth total of 217 runs for a loss of one wicket in stipulated 20 overs. The only wicket for Strikers was taken by Michael Neser, who registered bowling figures of 1/26.

Coming onto the chase, the Strikers got off to a poor start as they lost their opener Jake Weatherald in the second over off Clive Rose. The right-hander went for a six over deep-mid-wicket but he didnt get the required elevation only to get caught. Travis Head, the Aussie international came out to bat at number three and he stitched an amazing partnership of 77 runs with Philip Salt (66 runs off 33 balls). It looked like the duo might take the match away from the visitors but that was not the case.

Scott Boland helped his side in getting a breakthrough and he dismissed Salt in the 10th over of the innings. He also castled Head in the 15th over of the innings that left Strikers struggling at 142/3. Later on, Alex Carey (39 runs off 24 balls) and Jonathan Wells (15 runs off 7 balls) tried their best in winning the game for their side but they were left to do a little too much.

Hurricanes bowlers displayed amazing grit on the flat pitch. Clive Rose, Nathan Ellis and Scott Boland took two wickets each that helped their side in winning the game for their side. Strikers ended up scoring 202 runs for a loss of eight wickets in 20 overs and fell short of the target by 10 runs. They also lost an opportunity to trump the second-placed Sixers in order to get an extra shot at the final.

Now, they will have to play the knockout game on February 1. Matthew Wade was awarded Man of the Match for his magical knock. This win also helped Hurricanes to qualify into the playoffs of BBL 2019-20. With the Hurricanes winning this game, the Thunder now will have to wait for the result of the game between the Brisbane Heat and the Melbourne Renegades. If the Heat win, the Thunder will be knocked out of the competition.

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