Hughes leads NSW to thrilling win

New South Wales 5 for 162 (Hughes 80*) beat Queensland 7 for 161 (Simpson 39, Bolinger 3-22) by 5 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Phillip Hughes piloted New South Wales to a tense victory, which was achieved with two balls remaining, over Queensland at the Gabba in the first match of the Twenty20 Big Bash. The Blues seemed headed for a comfortable win with 13 needed off the final three overs with seven wickets in hand and Hughes unbeaten on 74.

The equation was a far tighter four off five balls when Moises Henriques was dismissed off the first ball of the last over by Nathan Rimmington. Daniel Smith managed a single off his first delivery and the batsmen pinched a bye from each of the next two balls before a no-ball confirmed the victory.

The Bulls were rocked by three early strikes from Doug Bollinger and they needed a 25-ball 39 from the captain Chris Simpson to lift them to a competitive 161. In reply, the Blues lost David Warner in the first over to a one-handed catch from Glen Batticciotto but Hughes kept them on track. He used the cut effectively, making a large chunk of his runs between third man and point, and hit eight fours and a six in an unbeaten 80. There was support from Ben Rohrer (24) and Dominic Thornely (20) before the final nervy passage.