Sydney Thunder’s Shadab Khan plays a shot during their BBL 15 match against Hobart Hurricanes at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on December 16, 2025. — BBL
HOBART: Pakistan international Shadab Khan’s all-round exploits proved insufficient for Sydney Thunder to start their Big Bash League (BBL) 15 triumphantly as they suffered a narrow four-wicket defeat at the hands of Hobart Hurricanes here at the Bellerive Oval on Tuesday.
After the underwhelming debuts of compatriots Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab lived up to the hype made around the Pakistan players in the ongoing league, as he played a brisk cameo and backed it up with two wickets.
Walking out to bat at No.6 exactly at the halfway mark when the Thunder were 79/4, Shadab made a handy contribution of 34 from just 24 deliveries, featuring two fours and a six, and oversaw the visitors’ innings until the penultimate delivery.
His quickfire cameo after Cameron Bancroft’s anchoring half-century up the order powered the Thunder to a formidable total of 180/6 in 20 overs.
The 27-year-old was equally impressive with the ball for the Thunder as he picked up two wickets for 36 runs in his four overs, while his teammates Daniel Sams, Nathan McAndrew, Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green could take one apiece.
Despite his bowling prowess, the hosts clinched a hard-earned four-wicket victory over Thunder as they chased down the 181-run target with just one ball to spare.
Leading the way for the Hurricanes were top-order batters Nikhil Chaudhary and Ben McDermott, who made 41 and 38, respectively, while wicketkeeper batter Matthew Wade (25) and experienced all-rounder Chris Jordan (16 not out) made vital contributions at the backend.
Jordan, who returned decent bowling figures of 2/36 in his four overs before his sensible knock under pressure, bagged the Player of the Match award.
