We're just about to get underway here with the Hurricanes' Bollinger to open the bowling to Watson, with Pomersbach at the other end for the Heat. Lovely warm afternoon here in Brisbane's inner east.

Heat 0/6

1st over Watson sporting helmet cam for the first time this afternoon. Should be some good footage of Bollinger's first delivery, which was the wildest we've seen at the Gabba since Steve Harmison's memorable Ashes opener in 2006. He later sends a towering wide over Pomersbach's head.

Heat 0-11

2nd: Hogan manages better control than his opening bowling partner. Heat yet to free up the shackles yet, although Pomersbach plays a lovely push through covers for two. Would be good in a Test match but the crowd today is looking for some fireworks.

Heat 0-24

3rd: And the fireworks have come, courtesy of Watson's bat. Bollinger drops in short and Watson pulls him over the square leg fence. Two balls later Bollinger over-corrects and Watson drives him into the sight screen for another six.

Heat 1-25

4th: Hogan's nagging line and length pays off with Watson lifting an off drive to Doherty at mid-off. Burns comes to the crease and looks like he wants to get on with things. Plenty of intent in the pull shot he plays off the first ball but it only manages a single.

Heat 1-34

5th: Floros comes into the attack for the Heat. He gets a little full and straight to Burns, who lifts an on-drive to the boundary. A similar shot almost brings disaster for Pomersbach, who was out of his ground as the ball ricocheted off Floros and threatened to hit the stumps. An edge from Pomersbach flies to the rope through vacant third slip to end the over.

Heat 2-39

6th: Burns taking the bulk of the strike now. An edge flies over slips to the rope, then a lofted cut falls just short of third man. Pomersbach tries to make the most of a rare appearance at the striker's end and pushes hard at a full ball. It goes high into the late afternoon sky but Bailey covers good ground from mid-off to make the catch.

Heat 2-41 

7th: Christian comes to the crease for the Heat. Burns looks like he's been out there for hours. He craftily guides a ball behind gully but can't find the rope. Gulbis concedes only two off the over, which the Hurricanes have to be happy about.

Heat 2-54

8th: Hogan makes a rare error and Burns takes no prisoners. He clears the front foot and sends it back over the opening bowler's head for six. A similar shot a couple of balls later finds the fence through covers and then he brings up the Heat's 50 off 45 balls with a swat over mid-wicket.

Heat 2-68

9th: Burns putting his hand up to carry the Heat through this innings. He lofts a cover drive to the fence then puts a Laughlin delivery about 15 rows back over mid-on. He's now on 38.

Heat 2-76

10th: Hurricanes skipper Bailey opts for a change of pace and tosses the ball to left-arm offie Doherty to see if spin can bring a breakthrough. Burns shows him no more respect than the quicks and pumps him to the fence through cover. Christian taking a while to get settled, having spent so much time at the bowler's end.

Heat 3-88

11th: Burns's luck finally runs out and he holds out to Bailey off Gulbis for 44. Next man in is Forrest. Good news for the Heat is that Christian is dishing out the punishment now. He clubs Gulbis over the mid-wicket fence then with a near-identical shot rings up another four runs.

Heat 3-95

12th: Doherty over-pitches to Christian and it flies back past him to the boundary. The spinner does a reasonably good job otherwise and stays out of trouble for the rest of the over.

Heat 3-106

13th: Time sitting on the boundary waiting to come in has put Forrest in a an aggressive frame of mind. He pulls Gulbis to the fence through square leg and then brings up the Heat's 100 off 12.2 overs, or eight runs an over. Christian ends the over with an on-drive to the fence.

Heat 3-108

14th: Styris comes on and nearly takes Forrest's head off. His loosener comes through at ear height with keeper Paine standing up to the stumps. The medium pacer recovers well though and the Heat slip into a bit of a hole as they struggle to get him away.

Heat 3-120

15th: Perhaps Bailey senses a time to strike and brings Bollinger back into the attack.He had control issues early on but he's straighter now. It doesn't bring the desired wicket and Christian manages to get onto one that's a touch full. He sends it into the stands next to the sight screen. Have to say the Brisbane crowd has been showing some sloppy hands this afternoon.

Heat 3-128

16th: Another good over from Styris as the Heat continue to struggle to get a hold of the slower bowling. Christian and Forrest need to pick up the pace now.

Heat 4-137

17th: WICKET Christian falls just a run short of his 50 as Laughlin finds his way through the gate and onto the stumps. Big-hitting Cutting comes to the crease for the home side. Expect some fireworks from the big fast bowler with three overs to go.

Heat 6-143

18th: WICKET Forrest's eyes light up on a Gulbis slower ball but it's the stumps that light up as the ball clatters into them triggering the flashing red lights, which, I have to say, is a pretty cool effect. Forrest got 13 and the new recruit Perera comes to the crease. Cutting launches one into the heavens over square leg but Wells never looked comfortable under it. Maybe it bounced off the pearly gates or a passing 747, but the Heat manage to run four by the time it comes to earth. WICKET Cutting serves up Bailey his third catch of the day though and Cutting goes for 6, brining Hopes to the crease.

Heat 6-157

19th: New boy Perera makes a good early impression, launching Bollinger high to the fence over mid-wicket. Were it not the longest boundary on the field it might well have been six. He then swings a full toss off his hip to the fence. Hopes swings wildly and the cricket gods smile on him, sending his fine edge over slips to the boundary. Heat's 150 comes up off 18.3 overs.

Heat finish on 6-172

20th: Gulbis given the ball for the final over. Hopes nearly throws out his back swinging for the mid-wicket fence but only gets two. He then survives a run-out chance as Gulbis's accuracy at the bowling crease deserts him on a shot at the stumps as he fields off his own bowling. Perera has plenty of new friends at the Gabba after he glances a full toss from outside off stump over the fine leg fence. He repeats the dose on the last ball of the innings and finds the rope. He finishes on 22 off 8 balls, with Hopes on 9 off 6.

Hurricanes 0-1

1st: It's Watson with the new ball as the Hurricanes chase 173 for victory, they need 8.8 an over r better to make it happen. Paine and Wells trying to get the chase off on the right foot. Watson is tight early on though and only gives up a single.

Hurricanes 0-7

2nd: Gannon follows Watson's lead, using his height and proving difficult to get away on a wicket that's offering the quicks plenty of carry. The true bounce could assist the run chase later on, but at the moment the Hurricanes are looking rushed at the crease.

Hurricanes 0-17

3rd: Watson again tight until he lets one go too full to Paine and it goes back over his head and over the fence in front of the dressing sheds. The Hurricanes get 10 off the over and they need more of that after a slow start to the innings.

Hurricanes 0-28

4th: Paine takes a decent ball from Gannon and pushes it though gully where it beats Forrest and finds the fence. He guides another to the third man fence, where Perera is a step behind it and it finds the fence. Gannon has a moment of his own though, beating the outside edge with a whisker to spare.

Hurricanes 0-42

5th: Christian comes into the attack and is immediately lofted to the fine leg fence. He drops one in to Wells, who plays a beautiful pull shot that falls just inside the square leg fence. He's then driven for four straight. He started slow with the bat though and went on to make 49, so the Heat will be hoping his bowling will follow the same trajectory.

Hurricanes 1-50

5th: WICKET Just as Paine was looking comfortable, he guides a cut shot to Gannon in the gully off Hopes. He got 28 off 19 balls. Birt comes to the crease and the Hurricanes brought up their 50 off 5.3 overs.

Hurricanes 1-59

7th: Wells taking over where Paine left off. He lifts Christian over cover with a controlled drive that rockets to the fence. Christian struggling still but he was unlucky not to end the over with the wicket of Wells, who chipped a leading edge perilously close to the bowler.

Hurricanes 1-70

8th: Hauritz comes on for the Heat and his right-arm off-spin could be tricky on this bouncy deck. Keeper Hartley would probably agree as a delivery slides down leg side for four byes. Wells helps himself to a boundary as Hauritz drops in short and is pulled to the fence. Heat really in need of a boundary now.

Hurricanes 1-74

9th: Cutting comes into the attack for the Heat. His extra pace proves hard to get away, but it doesn't bring the wicket the home side is needing.

Hurricanes 1-79

10th: A few sight screen issues delay play as a fast food outlet gets a little extra advertising when the panels refuse to spin around to black. Hauritz unlucky not to come away with a wicket as both Birt and Wells watch the ball slide within a whisker of their stumps. Good stuff from the Queenslanders in the past few overs.

Hurricanes 2-82

11th: WICKET The pressure finally takes its toll on the visitors, with a deserving Cutting getting the breakthrough. Wells skies a pull shot to Hopes and is back in the sheds with 38 off 33 balls. Shah comes to the crease. Crowd announced at 14,057.

Hurricanes 2-87

12th: Cutting and Hauritz really combining well to tie down the Tasmanians. Once again Hauritz is unlucky not to rattle the stumps as Birt drags one onto his pads and the ball comes to rest around the crease rather than homing in on the stumps. It's now four overs since the last time the Hurricanes found the fence.

Hurricanes 2-103

13th: Shah takes Cutting off the middle of the bat and puts a full delivery over the fence with a thumping drive. A foot to the left and it would have been through the plate glass window that Heat coach Darren Lehmann was standing next to. He then rocks back and flicks the ball almost into the second deck over square leg. He's looking scary for Heat fans. Hurricanes 100 comes up off 12.5 overs.

Hurricanes 2-125

14th: Hurricanes happy to see the back of Hauritz. Now it's Birt who fancies his chances against Hopes. He swings one over the fine leg fence and is riding his luck with some edges finding vacant Gabba turf. A couple of extra boundaries add up to a 22-run over for the visitors.

Hurricanes 2-134

15th: Gannon comes on at an unenviable time with both Shah and Birt looking in playful mood. Birt steps across his stumps looking to launch one over square leg then adjusts his stroke to run the ball to the fence through slips. Partnership reaches 50 off 24 balls. Cleanly hit balls finding fielders in the deep (including a diving Christian on the mid-on fence) at the moment, which is a worrying sign for the Heat.

Hurricanes 2-141

16th: Perera comes on for his first crack with the ball. Big shout on the second delivery as Birt edges a pull shot and keeper Hartley dives forward. It's unclear whether he got there on the full and the umpires confer and leave Birt to fight another day on 40. The Sri Lankan doesn't get the wicket he was looking for but, if not for a boundary on the last ball, turns in an impressive first over.

Hurricanes 2-148

17th: Watson back in the attack for the Heat now. He drops in short against Shah, which has a predictable outcome and the ball rockets to the fence behind square leg. Not a bad over though, with just seven coming off it.

Hurricanes 2-161

18th: Perera concedes a boundary on a fine leg glance and the Hurricanes' 150 comes up off 17.1 overs. Wickets needed in a hurry for the Heat now. But Birt brings up his 50 with a punishing pull shot. He took 36 balls to reach his milestone. Perera fields off his own bowling and almost runs out Shah. On the next delivery Forrest dives forward to a mis-timed cut shot but it falls just in front of him. It's been that kind of night for the Heat.

Hurricanes 2-175 off 19 overs

19th: HURRICANES WIN A Gannon no-ball on what would have been the last ball of the over gives Shah a free hit. He takes it with open arms and crunches a straight drive to the fence. Fitting that Birt and Shah should be there at the end as they really dominated the Heat attack.

A 91-run partnership between Travis Birt and Owais Shah propelled the Hobart Hurricanes to victory with an over to spare as the Brisbane Heat opened their Big Bash League campaign with a loss at the Gabba Sunday night.

A lack of firepower cost the home side as Birt (57 not out) and Shah (32 not out) took hold of the game when they came together at 2 for 80.

All-rounder Dan Christian (49) and Joe Burns (44) put the Heat in with a chance when they set a target of 173 for victory, but despite some tight spells from Nathan Hauritz and Ben Cutting, the Heat couldn't get the wickets needed to stem the bleeding.

Read on to see how it unfolded: