Thunder downgrade threat of Hurricanes

The scores: Sydney Thunder 5-166 (Jos Buttler 67, Shane Watson 41; Clive Rose 2-20) defeated Hobart Hurricanes 109 (Alex Doolan 34; Fawad Ahmed 2-14, Arjun Nair 2-17) by 57 runs.

The match in a tweet: Horror night for the Cane Train in Launceston as Buttler belts four sixes in an over to inspire the Thunder to an easy win #BBL07

The hero: Sydney Thunder's English import Jos Buttler experienced a slow start to BBL|07, with his first three knocks yielding just 33 runs. Tonight the wicketkeeper showcased his devastating power in a player-of-the-match performance and belted four sixes from one Tom Rogers over – which cost 28 runs – on his way to a quick-fire 67 from 41 balls. Channel Ten's Gus the Goose measured Buttler's fourth six at a massive 110m.

The catch: Wow! Hurricanes captain George Bailey gave his hometown ground, Launceston's University of Tasmania Stadium, a BBL christening with a one-handed screamer to remove the Thunder's Kurtis Patterson.

The support cast: Thunder captain Shane Watson continued his red-hot form with a knock of 41 before he was run out following a mix up with Callum Ferguson. Watson has 186 runs from four hits this season and is the competition's leading run-scorer, underlining his reputation as a star performer in the T20 format. He combined with Buttler for a 94-run stand for the second wicket.

The spin twins: Fawad Ahmed always loomed as a key strike weapon for the Thunder this summer after putting fresh ink on a two-year contract extension in November. The Pakistan-born leg-spinner returned a tidy 2-14 from four overs, while 19-year-old Arjun Nair was just as impressive with 2-17. Off-spinner Nair has eight wickets (Fawad has four) from four games in BBL|07 and looks a bright prospect given he has made only four JLT Sheffield Shield and 10 domestic one-day appearances. 

The consolation effort: Left-arm Hurricanes spinner Clive Rose played a lead role in slowing the Thunder's run rate after they powered to 1-107 from 12 overs. Rose collected the wickets of Buttler (bowled) and Ben Rohrer (lbw) unassisted on his way to figures of 2-20 from four overs.

The moment: He took a magnificent catch, but Bailey failed to fire with the bat against the Thunder, making just three after picking out Ryan Gibson at deep cover off the bowling of the dangerous Fawad. The Hurricanes were 3-52 off 7.3 overs when Bailey departed and never recovered. 

The victim: You had to feel for Hurricanes debutant Rogers, who leaked 50 runs from his three overs. Buttler took a liking to the paceman, blasting him over the rope four times in the 12th over of the Thunder's innings to help the visitors post a strong total. 

The silly point: Hobart's West Indian import Jofra Archer lost his radar here…

The fantasy wrap: Archer ($65,400) topscored with 107 points after making 25 not out to go with his wicket, while Buttler ($61,500) scored 99 and Rose ($56,700) 83.

The next stops: These two teams will lock horns again at Spotless Stadium on New Year's Day. The Thunder have a 2-2 record, while the Hurricanes are winless after two games.