Sydney Thunder 4 for 116 (Knight 25, Carey 2-23) whip Hobart Hurricanes 9 for 115 (Moloney 39, Ismail 3-10) by six wickets
A devastating spell of fast bowling from Shabnim Ismail helped Sydney Thunder protected a WBBL finals spot with a six-wicket victory over last-placed Hobart Hurricanes in the ultimate round of the season.
Ismail’s burst of pace in the Powerplay left the Hurricanes reeling at 3 for 4 in the third over. She removed Nicola Carey and Hayley Matthews in the first over after Rachael Haynes had won the toss and sent the Hurricanes in. Carey miscued a pull shot to square leg while Matthews played on trying to defend. Two overs later Chloe Tryon got a leading edge trying to flick off her pads and the sky ball was once comfortably taken by Tahlia Wilson.
Ismail finished with 3 for 10 from four overs and the Hurricanes never in point of fact retrieved. Rachel Priest and Sasha Moloney shared a 57-run stand but took 58 balls to take action. Hannah Darlington also claimed three wickets for the Thunder as the Hurricanes finished at 9 for 115 from their 20 overs.
The chase wasn’t totally smooth sailing but it was once comfortable enough thanks to contributions from Heather Knight (25) and Tammy Beaumont (22). Phoebe Litchfield (24 not out) and Sammy-Jo Johnson came together at 4 for 81 and guided the side home comfortably to make sure the Thunder qualified for the finals while the Hurricanes finished final with just three wins.