Sydney Sixers beat Melbourne Renegades by 3 wickets in a high-scoring affair at the Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, in the eighth match of the Big Bash League 2015-16.
Chasing 173 to win, the Sixers, helped by twin half-centuries by Michael Lumb and Moises Henriques, recovered from a minor setback towards the end to clinch the game in the 19th over.
The Renegades were put into bat after they lost the toss and Chris Gayle looked in a devastating mood, as he lit up the Docklands Stadium with a quickfire 46 off 33 that included 3 sixes and 3 fours before he was caught by Sean Abbott on the ropes off Johan Botha.
Doug Bollinger had earlier removed the Renegades captain, Aaron Finch, who looked threatening in his knock of 13 which had three boundaries already. Cameron White was a mere spectator to Gayle’s fireworks at the other end when his dismissal in the 10th over reduced the home side to 74/2.
Gayle departed in the very next over, but Dwayne Bravo took over the baton from his Caribbean teammate and smashed a 29-ball 45, and along with Tom Beaton’s 23-ball 41 took the total to 172/4.
The duo shared an unbeaten 78-run stand for the fifth wicket and hit 5 fours and 4 sixes between them.
The Sixers chase got off to the worst possible start as Brad Haddin was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the second ball of their innings by Chris Tremain. That, and the dismissal of Nick Maddinson in the 4th over, however, had no effect on Michael Lumb, who bludgeoned five mammoth sixes in his rapid-fire 35-ball 63 to propel the Sixers’ chase.
He along with Henriques, who himself was on song and hit 62 off 38, batted extremely well under pressure and shared a 101-run partnership for the third wicket in just 9.3 overs to take the game away effectively from the Renegades.
The Sixers panicked a bit when Henriques, Botha, Jordan Silk and Steven O’Keefe departed in quick succession to leave them 7 down for 165, still needing 8 runs to win from the last two overs, but Sean Abbott and Trent Lawford held their nerve, as Bravo’s penultimate over was enough for the Sixers to seal the game.
Nathan Rimmington picked up four wickets for 26 in his 4 overs while Chris Tremain scalped 2/28 for the Renegades.
Brief Scores: Sydney Sixers (toss) 174/7 (Lumb 63, Rimmington 4/26) beat Melbourne Renegades 172/4 (Gayle 46, Botha 1/13) by 3 wickets.
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