The confidence boost that the Hobart Hurricanes' bowling group has got out of consecutive successful defensive efforts with the ball has been considerable, says one the key members of that cartel.
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Nathan Ellis, whose work with the ball at the death is a key part of the Hurricanes' setup, on Sunday said "finding a way to execute under pressure" now when things weren't 100 per cent clicking with bat and ball would only hold the group in good stead for later on in the tournament.
It comes after the Hurricanes defended what looked like a below par 164 against the Stars at Blundstone Arena on Saturday despite Glenn Maxwell's heroics [where the visitors lost 6-26], which came days after defending 150 in their one-run win against the Heat.
"When you play at grounds like the Gabba and Blundstone when you have anything under 165 you always feel a bit nervous going in and trying to defend that, but as a bowling group we have found those ways to execute under pressure,'' Ellis said.
"That is something we talk about if we can scrap to a total we have to back our bowlers to be able to defend it, so now we are just waiting for a day where everything clicks and we can put a full performance together, but we are really happy with the last two games with our bowling performance, not only as individuals, but more as a core group who are playing different roles, but playing them the way we are asked to."
For Ellis, moments like that were a "black and white situation for me, I either execute or I don't".
"It is about restricting them from trying to hit you for six, it is as simple as that really,'' he said.
"I really love that part of it and the added pressure in that sort of situation is something you have to deal with and you get better with the more experience you have, but for me it is something I have always done and it is a challenge I love."
Ellis, who took 2-11 from his four overs on Saturday [and has nine wickets at 23.22 for BBL10] to be a key figure with the ball alongside man-of-match Scott Boland [3-22], and his Hurricanes teammates will face a rematch with the Stars on Monday at Blundstone Arena.
It will be an opponent that will be different with leg-spinner Adam Zampa back from suspension and more batting depth after Nic Maddinson's early ankle injury and no batting option as an X-Factor on Saturday.
But Maxwell's presence is one that won't change after his mighty 70 from 37 balls, which included five sixes.
"He struck the ball so cleanly and it was a remarkable innings and it did look ominous there for us,'' Ellis said.
"So we had that mantra the whole way along that we were only two wickets away [with Maddinson out] from being back in the game, so that's what we took into the 10-over break.
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"It was a great innings from Glenn Maxwell, but you need to see past that and do your best to get him out, which we did."
But Ellis was also confident a "big performance" from the Hurricanes' batters was only "just around the corner" to help make life easier for the bowlers.
"We have played a lot of good cricket, but with bat and ball we haven't put in a full 20-over performance just yet and when it comes, hopefully it will be pretty good to watch,'' he said.
The 26-year-old believed the key on Monday would be adapting to a used wicket which was a "little bit slower than the usual Blundstone wicket" on Saturday, but collecting another win over the Stars [Saturday's came after three losses to the Melbourne team] would be important.
"They are the front runners on paper in the competition and if you pair that with playing them twice [in three days], it was really important to win that first game and now we have an opportunity to make it two from two,'' he said.
Leading run-scorer Colin Ingram was named in the Hurricanes' squad on Sunday despite his hip issue.
The Hurricanes sat in second spot heading into Sunday's BBL10 double-header, with the Stars fifth.