Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder, Match 3 – Big Bash League 2025–26 Match Report

The third game of the Big Bash League 2025-26 at Bellerive Oval in Hobart was a cracker! The Hobart Hurricanes pulled off a confident win against the Sydney Thunder by four wickets. It was full of big hits, some shifts in who had the upper hand, plus some great bowling. The Hurricanes managed to chase down 181 with just one ball left – a great way to kick off their BBL season.

Match in a Nutshell

The game was under the lights at Bellerive Oval, known for being friendly to hitters and giving some bounce to the fast bowlers. The Hurricanes won the toss and chose to bowl first. This turned out to be a smart move considering the evening conditions and the dew that came later.

The Thunder had to set a target, while Hobart wanted to get some early wickets and put the pressure on with good bowling and fielding.

How the Thunder Batted

The Sydney Thunder scored 180 for 6 in their 20 overs – about 9 runs an over. They had a good middle part of the innings, mostly from Cameron Bancroft, but didn’t quite finish as strongly as they could have and missed out on the chance of getting above 190.

Matthew Gilkes started things off with a quick 20 off only 7 balls, hitting three 4s and a 6. He was going at nearly 300! But he got out in the second over, which slowed them down.

Sam Konstas played a steady knock of 28 from 25 balls, keeping the score ticking over while Bancroft got settled. Bancroft was the key to the innings, scoring 61 off 44 balls with four 4s and a 6. He soaked up the pressure and then sped things up when he needed to.

The Thunder stumbled a bit when they lost a couple of quick wickets. Sam Billings and Oliver Davies didn’t score much, both getting caught out by Chris Jordan, and they went from 69/2 to 79/4.

Shadab Khan then hit back, scoring 34 off 24 balls with two 4s and a 6. He and Daniel Sams added some important runs towards the end. Sams ended up not out on 23 from 11 balls, hitting at over 200, while Chris Green added a quick 4 from one ball.

Even after speeding up at the end, the Thunder only got 42 runs in the last four overs meaning they were a little short of a really tough score.

Hurricanes’ Bowling

Hobart’s bowlers got wickets at the right times to stop the Thunder from building any big partnerships. Billy Stanlake was awesome, taking 3 wickets for 34 runs in his four overs. His extra bounce and pace caused problems for the Thunder batters, especially Bancroft and Konstas.

The captain, Nathan Ellis, led the way, taking a key wicket and keeping things tight in the middle overs. Chris Jordan bowled well at the end, taking 2 wickets, including the key ones of Billings and Davies.

Rishad Hossain was good value, only going for 18 runs in three overs, and Rehan Ahmed also bowled well to slow the scoring down.

Hurricanes Go Hard in the Chase

Chasing 181, the Hurricanes knew they needed to make the most of the powerplay. Mitchell Owen smashed 32 off 14 balls, including six 4s and a 6. He got Hobart up to 48 in the first five overs before Tanveer Sangha got him out.

Nikhil Chaudhary then took over, holding the innings together with 41 off 31 balls. He mixed hitting with staying in, making sure Hobart stayed ahead of the rate they needed to score at.

Ben McDermott chipped in with 38 from 24 balls, hitting three 6s. Chaudhary and McDermott put on a good partnership that got Hobart in control by halfway through.

Middle Overs: The Game Swings

The Thunder came back into it thanks to Shadab Khan, who got McDermott out and then later got Rehan Ahmed, ending with 2 wickets. Chris Green also bowled well and got a wicket, keeping the Thunder in the game.

Tim David smashed a quick 17 off 9 balls, showing his ability to finish games. But Daniel Sams got him out, swinging the game back towards the Thunder.

Matthew Wade played a good supporting role, scoring 25 from 16 balls, including two 4s and a 6. He kept his cool and made sure Hobart didn’t panic as they lost wickets.

The End Game

With 30 runs needed from the last four overs, the Hurricanes counted on experience. Chris Jordan kept his cool, scoring 16 not out from 13 balls, rotating the strike and punishing bad balls.

Captain Nathan Ellis helped him out, making sure the chase stayed on track. Despite some tight bowling from Chris Green and Nathan McAndrew, Hobart got to 181 for 6 in 19.5 overs, winning by four wickets.

The last few moments were tense, but Hobart’s batting depth and calmness got them over the line.

Top Players

Mitchell Owen’s quick start set things up for the chase, while Nikhil Chaudhary’s innings was key to stability. Billy Stanlake’s three wickets were important in keeping Sydney Thunder to a score that Hobart could chase.

For the Thunder, Cameron Bancroft’s 61 was their best batting, with Shadab Khan also contributing with bat and ball.

The Ground and the Crowd

Bellerive Oval was a good pitch again. The batters could hit through the line, and the fast bowlers who hit the pitch hard were rewarded.

The Hobart crowd was noisy, cheering the Hurricanes on and celebrating a good win at home.

Points Table

With this victory, the Hurricanes get two points, putting them third on the BBL table with a good run rate. The Thunder are near the bottom after an early loss and a poor run rate.

The result shows that Hobart has a strong, well-balanced team, while the Thunder will need to sort out their middle order in the next few games.

In Conclusion

The third match of the Big Bash League 2025-26 was a good one, full of hitting, good bowling, and smart tactics. The Hobart Hurricanes showed their strength and took advantage of playing at home to get a deserved win against the Sydney Thunder.

Hobart has sent a message to the other teams with this confident start, while the Sydney Thunder will be looking to bounce back quickly.