First century of BBL season as Mitchell Owen leads Hurricanes

Mitchell Owen struck the first century of the BBL 2024-25 on Saturday afternoon, guiding the Hobart Hurricanes to an eight-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers in Hobart.

Heading into the match, Big Bash bookmakers had Perth as heavy favourites with Neds paying $1.67 for the visitors to win.

They suffered a setback early as Kiwi Finn Allen (4 from 2) fell second ball, then Cooper Connolly (14 from 12) followed in the third over.

Keaton Jennings (35 from 28) and Josh Inglis (49 from 35) combined for a 58-run third-wicket partnership, however, with Ashton Turner (39 from 28) adding a further 54 runs alongside Inglis for the fourth.

This the Scorchers through to a modest total of 155/6, which proved no issue for Hobart to chase down.

While Caleb Jewell (7 from 9) fell inside the powerplay, Owen (101* from 64) was sublime throughout, partnering with Shai Hope (38 from 35) for a brilliant 101-run second-wicket stand that knocked off the lion’s share of the chase.

The Hurricanes ended up cantering to the target with eight wickets and four balls to spare, earning their first win of the season.

Cricket betting sites are still sceptical of Hobart’s title chances, however.

PlayUp puts the Hurricanes on the sixth line of betting to win the BBL ($8), while the Scorchers remain second-favourites at $4.50.

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