D'Arcy Short fell agonisingly short of a century but did enough to lift the Hobart Hurricanes off the bottom of the BBL ladder with a nine-run win over the Sydney Thunder.
Short hammered 97 off 63 balls as the previously winless Hurricanes posted 3-189 at Spotless Stadium in Sydney on Monday.
The Thunder were at times on track in their run-chase, with Englishman Jos Buttler slamming a classy 81 off 43 balls.
However, the home side collapsed after Shane Watson (36) was dismissed in the 15th over with the score at 2-125.
After the Thunder skipper was caught at long-on the Thunder lost their next six wickets for 42.
When Buttler was run out by keeper Matthew Wade on the first ball of the last over, it signalled the end of the Thunder's run chase and they finished at 8-180.
Buttler's innings was highlighted by a daring ramp shot which cleared the fine leg boundary off Tymal Mills.
He was also given a second life when dropped by Jofra Archer on 40.
Kurtis Patterson (36 off 26) helped get the Thunder off to a flyer until he was run out by Short at the non-striker's end.
When Buttler hit it back down the pitch, Short managed to get a finger to it before it rebounded onto the stumps, catching Patterson out of his crease.
Not only did the triumph lift the Hurricanes above the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars, it was a sharp turnaround after they were beaten by 57 runs by the Thunder in Launceston just two days earlier.
Short's innings came to an end on the second last ball as he tried to slog Watson to the boundary to bring up triple figures, but was caught at deep mid-wicket by Chris Green.
Short smashed four sixes and nine fours as he and Ben McDermott (49 off 25) put the Hurricanes on track for victory.
"I might be (dirty) tomorrow when I think about it," Short said about his failure to get a century.
Buttler, who will link up with the English ODI squad following Sunday's match against Adelaide, said his side's failure to put together partnerships in the final five overs cost them.
"We will look back and say execution-wise, we weren't as good as what we could be with the ball," Buttler said.
"With the bat, we just needed a couple more good partnerships.
"On a really good wicket here and smaller boundaries, it highlights when you're just off with the ball, then the batsmen can expose you."
