Cricket: Wright blasts record T20 ton

Luke Wright smashed 117 off just 60 balls. Photo / Getty Images

Melbourne Stars opener Luke Wright blasted the highest-ever score in Australian domestic Twenty20 cricket as his side downed the Hobart Hurricanes to keep their Big Bash League finals hopes alive.

Wright made 117 off just 60 balls, smashing nine sixes and eight fours to eclipse the previous best of 111 set by Michael Dighton in 2007 as the Stars won by 19 runs.

The Englishman dispatched Hurricanes bowler Rhett Lockyear for three successive sixes in the 12th over before reaching his century off just 44 balls with another six off Xavier Doherty.

With fellow opener Rob Quiney (62 off 50), Wright shared a highest-ever domestic T20 partnership of 172.

Not helped by five dropped catches, some of them sitters, ladder leaders Hobart conceded the highest score of the Big Bash League - 3-203 - and the fourth-highest in Australian domestic T20.

Shane Warne's visit to Hobart had attracted a first-ever sellout crowd for a domestic match at Bellerive hoping to see the ladder-leading Hurricanes lock up a home semi-final.

The Stars, though, left them stunned after captain Cameron White won the toss and his side leapfrogged into third place on the ladder with the third victory of their campaign.

Rearguard actions of 51 off just 22 balls from the BBL's highest run-scorer Travis Birt - also including three straight sixes off Clint McKay - and 55 off 37 from Owais Shah weren't enough as the home side finished on 9-184.

The Hurricanes remain on top of the ladder on net run rate, equal with the Perth Scorchers on eight points, and face the Melbourne Renegades in their last match on January 18.

The Stars are starting to live up to their name - and personnel - and will next meet the Adelaide Strikers on January 19 attempting to secure their spot in the semis.

"Records are one of the nice things but the main thing was we won tonight,'' said Wright, who has played 46 one-day internationals for England.

"That was what we really needed to keep us in this competition.

"I felt pretty good in the last game but didn't go on so I just wanted to try and carry on and hit the ball hard.''

Hurricanes skipper Xavier Doherty was lamenting another poor bowling and fielding performance.

"They just had a license to bat really and there was no real pressure on them at all.''

- AAP