Fiery Meredith halts Thunder's six-game winning streak

A blistering over from speedster Riley Meredith and a stunning comeback from the Hurricanes has halted the Sydney Thunder's winning streak and shored up Hobart's KFC BBL|11 finals chances.

The Hurricanes looked down and out after an early onslaught from Alex Hales and stand-in Thunder skipper Jason Sangha took 56 runs from the four-over powerplay.

Even after both fell in the 30s, Daniel Sams continued the onslaught with a six and a four to take the score to 3-100 at the halfway mark in pursuit of 178 at Marvel Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

Enter Meredith (3-29), who's ferocious 145kph-plus pace castled both Oliver Davies and Ben Cutting in the over immediately after the mid-innings break to reduce the Thunder to 5-102.

When left-arm spinner D'Arcy Short removed the dangerous Sams on the first ball of the next over, the Hurricanes had well and truly seized the momentum.

Nathan McAndrew (30) and wicketkeeper Baxter Holt (17) tried their best to keep up with the required run rate but when both fell in the 18th over it left the Thunder tail with too much to do as they slumped to their first loss in seven games.

Earlier, the competition's leading run scorer, Ben McDermott, got the Hurricanes off to a quick start with a huge six into the second level before he was undone by a Sams slower ball and spooned a catch to short third-man.

Captain Matthew Wade, who dropped himself down to No. 3, immediately found his touch after a two-game break, taking leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha for 11 off his first over.

To rub salt in the wound, Sangha dropped Wade from the first ball of the next over as the skipper and Caleb Jewell combined for an 89-run second wicket stand.

Ben Cutting copped the treatment just before the halfway mark, with both Jewell and Wade launching him over the rope to take 20 from the over to grab the momentum.

They brought up the 100 in the 12th over as the assault continued with Mohammad Hasnain the recipient as he conceded 16.

Jewell kept going and launched Gurinder Sandhu into the stands to bring up his fifty only to fall the next ball for 51 (32).

The Thunder had a fight back of their own as Short (4), Tim David (3), Peter Handscomb (1) and Jordan Thompson (2) all fell in quick succession as the Hurricanes lost 5-22 in 20 balls to slump to 6-140.

It was left to Wade to finish the innings as he crashed eight fours and two sixes to end with 83 not out from 54 balls, his second half century of the tournament, as the Hurricanes posted 6-177.

Despite the early loss of Matthew Gilkes in the first over, Hales and Sangha got the chase off to flyer as they put on 62 for the second wicket.

Part-time off-spinner Tim David delivered a dreadful second over of the innings that the English import took full advantage off as he slammed five boundaries from several long hops and half volleys.

The 22-year-old Sangha continued the assault the next over when he hit Tom Rogers for 14 runs, before it was Hales' turn again as he launched Meredith for 17 from the fourth over.

Hales departed for 31 off 17 balls shortly after, while Sangha was out for 31 off 19 in the ninth over, but Daniel Sams, who hit 98 not out in his last game at Marvel Stadium, kept up the pace with 18 off 17 balls.

After the Meredith onslaught, wickets fell regularly as the Thunder fell nine runs short, finishing on 9-168, which ended a six-match winning streak and kept their cross-town rivals the Sixers in the hunt for second place.

The Thunder next play the Sixers in the Sydney Smash at the SCG on Saturday night, while the Hurricanes, who remain in fourth place, three points behind the Sixers, next play the Renegades at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday