Jofra Archer’s Hobart Hurricanes suffered a rare Big Bash defeat, but victory was not enough for Sydney Thunder to secure a top-four place.
Top-of-the-table Hurricanes posted a challenging 165 for four as George Bailey – run out from the last ball of the innings by England’s Chris Jordan for 53 – Matthew Wade (45) and Ben McDermott (44 not out) all impressed with the bat.
Archer, the Barbados-born fast bowler who is due to qualify for England within a matter of weeks, bowled the dangerous Callum Ferguson for 47 in his 20-ball spell of one for 22.
Not quite the run storm they needed, but the @ThunderBBL got out on a high #BBL08 pic.twitter.com/pplZNaKnpD — KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) February 9, 2019
Chris Green (34 not out) and Pat Cummins (10 not out) saw the hosts home by four wickets, but Thunder fell short of a finals berth with Brisbane Heat edging them out on a better net run rate.
Adelaide Strikers condemned the Perth Scorchers to a bottom-placed finish with a five-wicket home win.
Jono Wells’ 69 from 42 balls guided the Strikers past the Scorchers’ 174 for six with four deliveries to spare.
Update: Nathan Coulter-Nile has been taken to an Adelaide hospital as a precaution. More: https://t.co/yfHrDUhErh #BBL08 — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 9, 2019
There were worrying scenes at the end of the game when the Scorchers’ Australian international Nathan Coulter-Nile called for medical assistance and sat on the turf before walking off the field.
Cricket Australia’s media account later tweeted that paceman Coulter-Nile had suffered a bout of vertigo and that he had been taken to hospital as a precaution.
