REN vs HEA: Melbourne Renegades recorded a sizzling victory against Brisbane Heat in their recently concluded pool stage fixture at the ongoing edition of Big Bash League 2022-23. A solid all-round performance favored a four-wicket victory for the emerging side as they now ace the second position in the standings.
Winning the toss at the GMHBA Stadium, Brisbane Heat skipper Jimmy Peirson made a clumsy decision to bat first. Batting first, Brisbane Heat struggled to a decisive Melbourne Renegades bowling attack and could manage to post a mere total of 137/8 in their first innings of 20 overs.
Brisbane Heat was off to a sluggish start as opening batsmen Max Bryant (5) and Colin Munro (8) failed to make an impact. Matt Renshaw (29) and Sam Billings (25) then rescued the side and put up a stunning 61-runs stand for the third wicket. However, their dismissal was followed by a downfall in Brisbane’s middle-order attack.
Apart from the heroics of skipper Peirson, who remained unbeaten on 45, no Brisbane Heat batsmen managed to score in double-digits. As a result, the benchmark set by Bryant and Munro collapsed owing to which Heat could not edge past the 150-run mark.
For Melbourne Renegades, Tim Rogers was absolutely glorious and breathtaking in his bowling approach. Rogers claimed 4 wickets for 23 runs and was excellently supported by Caribbean spinner Akeal Hossien who scalped 3 wickets for 26 runs. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman chipped in a wicket for 18 runs.
Russell-Finch’s 81-Run stand guided the Renegades to a stunning win
Chasing a modest total of 138 runs, Melbourne Renegades also fell prey to the frontline bowling attack of Brisbane Heat. Harper (0), Maddinson (2), McGurk (6), and Wells (0) failed to capitalize on their opportunities after which Renegades were off to a nightmare start at 9/4.
Veteran batsman Aaron Finch (31) and astonishing all-rounder Andre Russell (57) then came in to the rescue and staged a match-winning partnership of 81 runs for the fifth wicket. Akeal Hosein (30) was also impressed with his stunning cameo that took his side through to another victory.
For Brisbane Heat, Michael Neser (4/32) was ruthless with the ball and troubled the frontline batsmen. Steketee (2/23) grabbed a couple of vital wickets but their efforts went in vain as Renegades anchored the total in 19.2 overs.
