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Somersaulting Ahmad skittles Sixers as Hurricanes win in BBL
Spin sensation Qais Ahmad starred with four wickets and an eye-catching somersault celebration as Hobart Hurricanes beat Sydney Sixers by 25 runs in the Big Bash League on Friday.
Ahmad took 4-12 in four overs, as well as running out Daniel Hughes with a direct hit from mid-on in Alice Springs, where the Sixers collapsed from 48-1 to 61-8 before being bowled out for 104.
Hobart's score of 129-9 owed much to opener D'Arcy Short, whose 51 represented comfortably the highest score of the contest.
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Josh Philippe (24), the star of the Sixers' opening-game win over Perth Scorchers, and James Vince (18) had their side on course in reply, but Ahmad then took centre stage in spectacular fashion.
One over. Three wickets. One backflip.This is one of the most entertaining overs the BBL has ever seen #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/P3mk0fOS8Y— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 20, 2019
SHORT GETS THINGS STARTED
Short, the top-scorer in the 2017-18 BBL, made a crucial contribution with his 40-ball knock, which contained five fours and a solitary six.
The opener timed the ball sweetly and went on to claim three catches in the field as part of a fine display.
David Miller (16), Ben McDermott (15) and George Bailey (12) were the only other Hobart batsmen to reach double figures, with Sean Abbott (3-20), Tom Curran (2-30) and Ben Dwarshuis (2-25) all returning impressive figures for the Sixers.
AHMAD THE HERO
While Short led the supporting cast, Ahmad was the hero for the Hurricanes and he had the celebrations to match.
The 19-year-old Afghanistan star wreaked havoc, taking 4-5 from his first 10 deliveries.
After executing a brilliant run-out to dismiss Hughes (2), Ahmad quickly claimed the scalps of Moises Henriques (2), Curran (1), Abbott (0) and Dwarshuis (2).
The Curran wicket brought additional excitement as a jubilant Ahmad, who is known for his acrobatics, launched into a front flip.
Qais Ahmad with the direct hit!! Dan Hughes, you've gotta go #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/fI4eBAIGsM— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 20, 2019
There was no way back for the Sixers. Jordan Silk and Ben Manenti each made 22, but their efforts only delayed the inevitable.
James Faulkner (2-11 from 2.5 overs), Simon Milenko (2-29 from four overs) and Riley Meredith (1-10 from four overs) also played key roles for Hobart.
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