MELBOURNE: In the 46th match of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL), Melbourne Stars handed a crushing defeat to Melbourne Renegades; defeating the latter by six wickets with 33 balls to spare, here on Thursday.
At the toss, Renegades’ captain – Nic Maddinson opted to bat first after the bat flipped in his favour. Batting first, the Renegades’ batters struggled throughout the innings following the scary start to the side as Pakistan’s speedster got two wickets in his opening over. As a result, none of their batters could able to go big. The side, eventually, restricted at 122/7 in the allotted 20 overs.
Jake Fraser-McGurk scored a valiant 32, but, was a touch too slow as the batter faced 39 deliveries and could only hit two boundaries. The top scorer for the Renegades today, Aaron Finch scored 45 off 44 balls, including three boundaries and a six. The rest of their batters could not even manage to score in double-figures.
For the Stars, Rauf, Adam Zampa, and Qais Ahmed claimed two wickets each, while Brody Couch made one scalp.
Set to chase a paltry 123, the Stars had a similar start to their innings; losing two wickets for a mere 15. The Stars’ skipper – Glenn Maxwell along with Joe Burns, however, anchored the innings with a valuable 52-runs partnership for the third wicket. Burns, who was struggling to go big, departed after scoring 17 off 19 balls and could only hit one boundary.
Maxwell, on the other hand, kept going and went on to smash an astonishing half-century. The batter kept the scoreboard ticking with little to no assistance from his fellow batters. Maxwell’s heroics helped the Stars chase down 123 in the 15th over. He scored a terrific 68 off 45 balls, laced with eight boundaries and a six.
For his brilliant performance, Maxwell was adjudged as the Player of the Match.
Following this victory, the Stars have now claimed the fifth position, while the Renegades remained at the bottom.
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