Hobart Hurricanes got their KFC Big Bash campaign off to the perfect start with a 31-run win over Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground.
Hobart Hurricanes got their KFC Big Bash campaign off to the perfect start with a 31-run win over Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground.
The Hurricane's relatively moderate total of 140 seemed well within the Scorchers' sights but their highly touted top order did not generate the runs expected and they were all out for 109.
Travis Birt top scored for the visitors with a handy 40 off 30 deliveries before their tail-end wasted a good opportunity to post more than 150.
Michael Beer (1-18 off four overs) bowled well for the Scorchers as did Nathan Rimmington (1-7) while Ben Edmondson (4-40) was expensive despite his four wickets.
Perth's chase never got going and when Herschelle Gibbs made way for just two, with Ben Hilfenhaus's late swinging delivery finding the edge, the Scorchers were on the back foot.
Simon Katich joined former Test team-mate Marcus North at the crease but added just eight runs before he too was caught behind by Tom Triffitt off the bowling of Hilfenhaus.
Mike Hussey fell in the fifth over when he was caught at the leg side rope for a duck as the Scorchers slumped to 3-21.
Perth moved painfully to 4-33 by the end of the eighth over and lost Paul Collingwood for four after he had looked uncomfortable facing 13 deliveries.
North hung around but a 4-44 at the half-way mark the Scorchers never looked like reeling in the total.
He fell in the first ball of the next over before Mitchell Marsh (35) and Rimmington (22) tried to revive the innings but it was not enough in the end.
Earlier, the Hurricanes got off to a slow start with openers Ricky Ponting and Phil Jacques managing just five runs from Beer and Rimmington's opening overs.
The pair had just got the ball rolling when Ponting's (17) lose drive provided an easy catch for Mike Hussey at mid off.
At 1-24 Birt strode to the crease and immediately smashed Marsh for four off his second over.
Birt looked dangerous and Jacques had started to settle when his finely clipped stroke to short leg found Hussey, who prevented a six as well as providing Edmondson with his second wicket.
Hobart's total always looked a little under par and at 2-80 off the first 12 overs they needed an impetus.
Birt looked the most likely following his thunderous six off Collingwood as he moved to 40 off 29 balls after the 13th over.
Like the rest of the order though, he was blunted. As he looked to loft Edmondson over long on, Rimmington got around to take a superb diving catch.
Owais Shah was farcically run out for 24 having pushed straight to Collingwood at cover with Hobart falling to 4-107 after the 15th over.
The Hurricane's tail offered little in the way of runs with the last six dismissed for just 11 runs.
