By Sherdon Cowan (Sportsmax)- Shimron Hetmyer continued his dazzling run of form this year with a breathtaking six-hitting display, as he smashed 32 runs in a single over to catapult Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) to a commanding four-wicket victory over Hobart Hurricanes (HH) in their final Group Stage League (GSL) clash at Providence on Wednesday night.
Hetmyer lit up the chase of 126 with a brutal assault on Fabian Allen. He launched the left-arm spinner for five sixes and a two in a single over to blow the game wide open as the Amazon Warriors were in a spot of bother at 43-3 in nine overs. He finished with a whirlwind 39 off just 10 balls, including another big six off Usama Mir, as he transformed what looked like a nervy pursuit into a routine win with 20 balls to spare.
Scores: Hobart Hurricanes 125 all out (16.1 overs); Guyana Amazon Warriors 128-6 (16.3)
But it was the bowlers who laid the groundwork for the win. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was once again clinical, as he grabbed 3-9 in a miserly spell, while Moeen Ali provided early breakthroughs to jolt the Hurricanes’ innings.
Opting to bat first, the Hurricanes were immediately on the back foot as Moeen struck twice in the second over, removing Bhanuka Rajapaksa (one) and Jake Doran (zero) within three deliveries.
Dwaine Pretorius then knocked over Ben McDermott, who had threatened with three early boundaries in his nine-ball 21, to leave Hobart 28-3. Despite some resistance from Nikhil Chaudhary, who added 29 quick runs, and Macalister Wright (16), Motie returned to spin the game back in Amazon Warriors’ favour. He had Chaudhary stumped first ball and pinned Wright lbw four deliveries later, and that triggered a collapse from 65-3 to 77-6, aided by Imran Tahir bowling Odean Smith (eight).
A 35-run stand between Allen (28) and Mohammad Nabi (21) provided brief hope for the Hurricanes, but Tahir and Motie cleaned up the tail. Tahir had 2-35, and Ali had 2-17.
Chasing what seemed a modest target, the Amazon Warriors also found themselves in early trouble. Johnson Charles (eight) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (seven) fell cheaply, and when Evin Lewis (seven) was dismissed in the ninth over with the score stuck on 43, Hobart looked to have clawed their way back. Moeen, who came in at number four, struggled for fluency and had just eight runs off his first 17 balls.
Then Hetmyer arrived. The left-hander’s onslaught flipped the game on its head in a matter of minutes, as his blitz sucked the life out of the Hurricanes’ defence. Although Stanlake dismissed Sherfane Rutherford (three) and Mir eventually removed Hetmyer, the damage had been done.
Motie chipped in with a useful 13-ball 19, while Moeen steadied the ship with an unbeaten 30 off 36 to take the Warriors across the line and into the final on a high.
