Rishad shines again but Hurricanes exit BBL

Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain produced a decisive spell in Sydney on Friday, dismissing both Steve Smith and Moises Henriques in the same over, but his side Hobart Hurricanes eventually came up short against Sydney Sixers by 57 runs to exit the Big Bash League (BBL) in the Challenger game.

Rishad finished with two for 33 from four overs, delivering his impact at a critical stage of the innings. After bowling two economical wicketless overs, Rishad broke through in his third when Smith attempted a switch hit but misjudged the line and was bowled for 65.

The final ball of the over brought another breakthrough as Henriques edged a back-foot shot to mid-on, where Chris Jordan took the catch.

Rishad’s final over was particularly tidy where only four runs were leaked. Overall, he bowled six dot balls and gave away three boundaries and a six.

Earlier, Smith and Daniel Hughes gave the Sixers a brisk start after losing the toss. Late contributions from Joel David (27) and Lachlan Shaw (21) lifted the Sixers to 198.

Chasing the target, Hurricanes openers Mitchell Owen and Tim Ward made identical eight-ball 13s, before being resisted by the Sixers bowlers. Among all batters, only the skipper, Ben McDermott put up some fight, making 40 off 26 balls. Rishad hammered a big six (11 off eight), but others failed to contribute. Hurricanes were eventually all out for 141 in 17.2 overs.

Rishad finished his debut BBL campaign with 15 scalps in 11 innings and is currently ranked joint seventh in the highest wicket-taker list. On Sunday, the Sixers will face Perth Scorchers in the grand finale of the tournament’s 15th edition.