Mitchell Owen has carried Hobart Hurricanes to their maiden BBL title win, blasting a stunningly enthralling century to help the side crush Sydney Thunder by seven wickets in the final on Monday at Bellerive Oval, Hobart. Chasing a competitive score of 182, Hobart Hurricanes made a rollicking start, with Mitchell Owen firing on all cylinders and registering the fastest half-century (16-ball 50) in a BBL final. Mitch Owen has also become the second batter after Jake Weatherald to register a century in a BBL Final. Jake Weatherald had scored 115 not out in BBL|7.
The unstoppable young batter was out of control, pummeling Thunder bowlers all over the ground. He smoked his century in just 39 deliveries as he finished his innings on 108 off 42. His scintillating knock included six fours and eleven sixes.
Earlier, Sydney Thunder, asked to bat, got off a perfect start, with David Warner and Jason Sangha scoring 47 and 67 respectively. Both openers powered the side to a fighting total of 182/7 in 20 overs. Their magnificent partnership just remained three runs shy of a century.
Sydney Thunder could have got more runs if their middle-order batters had given some help. Meanwhile, Sam Billings and Oliver Davies helped a little with their scores of 20 and 26 respectively. For Hurricanes, skipper Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith returned with three wickets each to hinder Thunder’s progress.