Mitchell Owen Leads Hurricanes to First BBL Title
Mitchell Owen played a pivotal role in leading the Hobart Hurricanes to their first-ever Big Bash League (BBL) title by smashing a remarkable 39-ball century. Owen’s knock which equaled the record for the fastest century in BBL history, guided the Hurricanes to a seven-wicket victory over Sydney Thunder with 30 balls to spare. The 23-year-old Tasmanian opener hit an astonishing 11 sixes and Thunder’s bowlers struggled to contain his onslaught.
Owen eventually fell for 108 off 42 balls, leaving Matthew Wade (32 off 17 balls) and Ben McDermott (18 off 12 balls) to finish the chase and secure the win in front of an ecstatic home crowd at Hobart’s Ninja Stadium. “It’s an amazing feeling,” Owen said. “I was doing what I’ve tried to do all competition – get us off to a good start so we could take it easy in the middle and thankfully I came off.”
Thunder had put up a strong start with openers Jason Sangha (67) and David Warner (48), who shared a 97-run opening partnership. However, Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis (3-23) dismissed both openers. Fast bowler Riley Meredith also impressed with three middle-order wickets including that of England’s Sam Billings, whom he dismissed for 20.
Despite England’s Chris Jordan’s expensive outing, as he finished with 0-47 from four overs, Thunder’s total of 182-7 proved inadequate. Once Mitchell Owen found his rhythm, it became clear that the Hurricanes were on course for the win. The Hurricanes earned their victory after topping the regular season standings. This win left Melbourne Stars as the only team yet to claim a BBL title
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