Brisbane Heat 162 for 6 (Renshaw 41) beat Hobart Hurricanes 150 for 6 (Wade 45, David 44*, Neser 3-27) by 12 runs

A resurgent Brisbane Heat continued their charge for a BBL playoffs berth while denting Hobart Hurricanes' chances with a pivotal 12-run victory at the Gabba.

Three straight wins has lifted Heat firmly into playoffs calculations, while Hurricanes are currently outside the picture after being unable to break their drought on the road.

Neser shines, Johnson holds nerve

But with David looking ominous, Neser returned in the 15th over after Hurricanes took the power surge and he bowled well under pressure. He then bowled the penultimate over and removed Mitchell Owen, but a first ball six from Faheem Ashraf breathed life into the contest.

Wade made his move in the fourth over with a couple of boundaries off Johnson and unleashed trademark inventiveness against spin. But he fell for 45 in the 13th over with the burden falling on David, who put the foot down in the 18th over with two sixes off spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.

His gamble to decline singles briefly paid off, but ultimately it proved too tough a task for David as Hurricanes lost their seventh straight game on the road.

Khawaja made 18 before spooning a return catch to Faheem, while Labuschagne lacked fluency in his 25-ball 28. Having only played one T20I in his career, Labuschagne has been out to prove his formidable longer format game can translate into success in T20 cricket.

But he did little to ease the doubters with a scratchy innings, where he struggled for timing, before falling after the drinks break at a pivotal juncture.

Recalled Paris rediscovers his miserly best

It was a task made more daunting without injured spinner Paddy Dooley, who has enjoyed a breakout season to emerge as an unlikely talisman of the attack.

Frontline quicks Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis were expensive, but an outstanding performance from left-arm seamer Joel Paris helped restrict Heat. Paris has been in and out of the line-up and before this match claimed just three wickets from five innings at an economy rate of 8.56.

But he conjured swing during the powerplay and then dismissed Labuschagne in the 11th over. Paris also bowled a clutch over at the death to finish with figures of 2 for 15 in four overs in his best performance of the season.

Faheem was also accurate to frustrate Heat, who failed to hit a boundary for six overs at one point. Sharp catching capped a notable improvement in the field for Hurricanes.