Warner special nullified as Hobart Hurricanes go top

David Warner turned back the clock with his second Big Bash League century—14 years after his first. The Sydney Thunder opener finished unbeaten on 130 off 65 balls, hitting 11 fours and 9 sixes. His stunning effort included three sixes and two fours off Nathan Ellis in a 30-run 20th over, powering Thunder to 205/4.

However, Warner’s vintage batting couldn’t lift Thunder from the bottom of the table as Hobart Hurricanes chased down the target with six wickets and 2.1 overs to spare, moving top of the table. The Hurricanes’ win was built on opener Tim Ward’s 49-ball 90.

Warner’s two BBL centuries came 5,131 days apart, but the occasion was overshadowed by Hurricanes’ whirlwind opening stand. Ward took charge in the PowerPlay, smashing three fours off Tom Andrews in the first over and following up with two fours and a six off Nathan McAndrew in the second. Mitchell Owen joined the carnage against Wes Agar in the third over, then hit sixes off Shadab Khan and Chris Green. Hurricanes raced to 74/0 in the PowerPlay.

In the seventh over, Ward reached a 29-ball half-century with a six off Shadab, while Owen continued attacking. By the time Daniel Sams broke the stand in the ninth over, dismissing Owen for an 18-ball 45, Hurricanes had already scored more than half the required runs. Rehan Ahmed walked in at No. 3 and hit Sams for a six in the same over. At the halfway stage, Hurricanes were 121/1.

Agar dismissed Rehan in the 13th over, but Ward kept pushing his team toward the target. Sams struck twice in the 15th over, removing Ward and Ben McDermott. Nikhil Chaudhary and Matthew Wade then saw the chase through comfortably.

Earlier, Warner enthralled the Sydney crowd. Will Prestwidge rocked Thunder with wickets off the first two balls of the innings, removing Matthew Gilkes and Sam Konstas. Warner and Sam Billings responded with a 66-run stand for the third wicket. After Billings fell in the middle overs, Warner partnered with Nic Maddinson to boost Thunder’s total.

Warner was brutal against most bowlers, starting with three fours off Rishad Hossain in the eighth over. He attacked Rehan Ahmed and Riley Meredith, and with Maddinson, gave Thunder a flying start to the death overs. In the 18th over, Warner reached his century off 57 balls. He closed Thunder’s innings with a sequence of 6, 6, 6, 4, 4, but it proved insufficient on the day.

Brief Scores:
Sydney Thunder 205/4 in 20 overs (David Warner 130*, Nic Maddinson 30; Will Prestwidge 2-19) lost to Hobart Hurricanes 207/4 in 17.5 overs (Tim Ward 90*, Mitchell Owen 45; Daniel Sams 3-36) by 6 wickets.