A late flourish from Jonathan Wells has helped the Hobart Hurricanes to 3-150 batting first in the crucial Big Bash League match against the Brisbane Heat at Bellerive.

On a sticky wicket the home side had scratched their way to 3-84 before Wells smacked 40 from 24 balls and put on 66 from 42 balls with Englishman Owais Shah (32 from 28).

The Hurricanes managed just a single six, hit by Ricky Ponting (17 from 16), and looked to be struggling to post a competitive total.

But their bowlers will have a target to defend and plenty of motivation with the winner scoring a place in next week’s semi-finals.

For the Heat, skipper James Hopes bowled a miserly 1-18 from his four overs while Dan Christian took 2-32.

Tim Paine (23 from 27) fell first when he played on to Christian at 1-47.

Last season’s leading runscorer Travis Birt (32 from 25) looked to be rediscovering form when he was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Joe Burns at 2-67.

Burns grabbed the ball with an outstretched left hand before tiptoeing along the boundary and somehow staying on the field of play.

When Ponting was caught in the deep it was 3-84 in the 13th over and Wells and Shah needed to mount a recovery mission and they plundered 40 from the last four overs.

The match is doubling as an appeal for the devastating bushfires that hit Tasmania during the week.