An impressive batting efficiency from Brisbane opener Colin Munro wasn’t fairly sufficient to assist the bottom-placed Heat keep away from one other BBL defeat to the Sydney Thunder.
Two days after beating Brisbane by 10 wickets, Sydney saluted once more at Metricon Stadium on Thursday, successful by 11 runs, regardless of a sensational 98 from Munro.
The Thunder made the Heat remorse their choice to bowl first as they introduced up their greatest rating of the season (6-182). In response, Brisbane fell quick on 9-171.
Although Munro fell agonisingly wanting a maiden BBL ton, he was extra disillusioned with the outcome.
“Just gutted that we couldn’t get across the line,” he stated.
But the outcome got here at a price for the Thunder after strike bowler Gurinder Sandhu sustained a left calf pressure bowling the primary ball of the Heat innings, placing his availability for the match with Hobart on Saturday unsure.
Things appeared dire for the Heat once they slumped to 2-14 within the second over however Munro was undeterred by his workforce’s predicament, making certain the Heat stored going at a superb fee with spectacular hitting as wickets tumbled round him.
Munro performed a lone hand for the Heat, smacking three sixes and 9 fours, and going at a strike fee of 185 in his 53-ball dig.
I simply stored telling myself to be courageous, even when we misplaced a few wickets, be courageous and hold enjoying the scenario and keep optimistic in my mind set,” he stated.
“My final couple of innings I’ve been a little bit bit subdued and enjoying a little bit bit an excessive amount of the wickets and the scoreboard so immediately I simply took the scoreboard out of it and tried to play every ball in addition to I might.”
Unfortunately for the New Zealander, though, hardly any of his teammates stuck around to help in the run chase, with James Bazley (29 off 24 balls) the only one who provided meaningful support, combining for a 48-run sixth-wicket partnership with Munro.
After Sydney spinners Chris Green (1-20 from four overs) and Usman Qadir (1-30 from four) put the brakes on between the 13th and 16th overs, the Heat’s required run rate exceeded 12.5 as they went 26 balls without a boundary.
And when Qadir had Bazley plumb lbw with 16 balls to go, the Heat’s assignment became very difficult.
A controversial ball change in the final over brought about an immediate result as Nathan McAndrew (4-32 from four) had Munro caught at deep mid-wicket – one of three wickets to fall in the space of five balls.
Late fireworks from Daniel Sams (36 off 15 balls), Alex Ross (25 off 12) and Oliver Davies (16 off 10) helped propel the Thunder to their imposing score.
Sams was especially destructive, hammering four sixes, including back-to-back sixes off Mitchell Swepson, one of which sailed into the second tier.
Earlier in the innings, Rilee Rossouw (39 off 35) and Matthew Gilkes (37 off 35) combined for a 57-run second-wicket partnership to lay down a solid foundation for the Thunder.
James Bazley, who was the only inclusion to the Heat line-up for this match, was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-22 from his four overs and finding himself on a hat-trick in the final over.
Wicketkeeper Gilkes additionally took one of many catches of the season when he dove to his left at full stretch and snaffled a spectacular one-handed seize to dismiss Heat captain Jimmy Peirson trying to hook McAndrew down the leg facet.
