Wade, Ellis power Hurricanes to fourth win

Matthew Wade produced a match-winning cameo under pressure as Hobart Hurricanes chased down 163 to defeat Melbourne Renegades by four wickets with an over to spare. 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 proved an under-par total.

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. However, Ellis broke through with a clever slower ball that induced a leading edge from Brown, brilliantly caught by Rishad Hossain.

The Hurricanes tightened their grip from that point. Mitchell Owen claimed Seifert's wicket, and when Jake Fraser-McGurk fell to 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, but Ellis returned to dismiss both in the death overs. Gurinder Sandhu's unbeaten 16 helped push the Renegades past 160, but their innings had lost momentum after the blistering start.

The Renegades' defense received a boost from Adam Zampa, who produced a match-turning spell. After Mitchell Owen fell in the fifth over, Zampa struck twice in the ninth over to leave the Hurricanes reeling. First, Tim Ward top-edged a slog sweep for 30. Next ball, Zampa's perfectly-pitched googly defeated Ben McDermott comprehensively, crashing into off stump.

Beau Webster, playing his first match back after Test duties, looked fluent during his 27 off 20 before holing out. 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 taking pressure off Wade.

Even after Hassan Khan had Rehan caught 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, their total proved insufficient. They remain in the bottom half of the table with just one win from three games.

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.