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Hobart allrounder Dan Christian has belted his former Brisbane team-mates out of the Gabba – and probably the Big Bash League – on Tuesday. Christian smashed an unbeaten 56 off just 24 balls – including a massive 117m six which landed on the Gabba roof - to lift the Hurricanes to 4-194 in their 20 overs.
Heat skipper Chris Lynn smashed 101 off just 51 balls in reply to give the hosts hope of a first victory in this summer’s tournament. But Lynn’s dismissal with 16 balls remaining silenced the massive crowd of 29,876 as the winless Heat collapsed to finish 9-176.
Leg-spinner Cameron Boyce, a team-mate of Lynn in Queensland’s state team, was the man who picked up the vital breakthrough on his way to impressive figures of 2-22 off four overs.
The loss means the Heat must win all four of their remaining matches to even have an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Earlier, Christian’s free-wheeling knock came after West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree fired for the first time this summer for the Heat. Badree removed Hurricanes openers Ben Dunk (27) and Tim Paine (25) as the visitors battled to 4-129 off 15 overs.
Christian, who played a leading role in the field during the Hurricanes’ win over the Heat in Hobart last week, teed off in the 19th over. The 32-year-old smashed three sixes of Luke Feldman’s (1-53) final over, including a giant hit to cow corner which not only cleared the fence but also the stands.
Despite his personal satisfaction at reaching triple figures, Lynn was gutted that his team had once again come away with nothing.
“Personally hitting the ball better than ever, confident with my body at the moment even though it’s not 100 per cent and enjoying the captaincy,” Lynn told AAP. “I’m hoping what’s in store around the corner is a couple of wins and just go that next level.”
Admitting his monster six was comfortably the biggest of his career, Christian said the thought pattern for his assault had been a simple one.
“I swung as hard as I could and it landed exactly where I wanted it to and came out of the middle of the bat,” he said. “I was waiting for it to come down in front of the sails and it kept going and that’s when I realised it was obviously a decent one.”
Hobart’s next game is against the table-topping Sydney Thunder in Tasmania on New Year’s Day while the Heat welcome the Thunder in their next match on Sunday.
