BBL 2016/17: Top moments from the Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat thriller

In the most dramatic fashion, Melbourne Renegade stayed alive for the business end of the tournament after snatching victory by the narrowest of margins against Brisbane Heat. With their semi-final spot on the line, the Renegades held their nerve in the dying moments of the thriller to win by a mere one-run.

Earlier, Melbourne rode on captain Finch’s belligerent 71-run knock to post a stiff target of 200, after being sent into bat. Brendon McCullum, his counterpart, started off in similar fashion, but in a bizarre sequence of events in the final few overs, Heat eventually just fell short of the target.

Brief Scores: Melbourne Renegades – 199/5 (Aaron Finch 71 (35), Marcus Harris 48 (32), Callum Ferguson 31 (15); Mark Steketee 2/37 (4))

Brisbane Heat – 198 all out in 19.5 overs (Brendon McCullum 64 (40), Ben Cutting 35 (18), Joe Burns 35 (22); Thisara Perera 2/27 (4), Sunil Narine 2/38 (4), Nathan Rimmington 2/37 (2.5));

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#5 Finch runs amok on the bowlers

Finch gave a fitting reply to his axing from the Australian limited overs squads.

Having won the toss and opted to send the Renegades in, Brisbane Heat were immediately made to regret their decision as Renegades captain Finch ran amok on their bowlers. Going at a strike rate just over 200, the Aussie opener scored a boundary-studded 71 off 35 balls – his third score over 50 in four innings.

Together with fellow opener Marcus Harris, who scored 48 himself, Finch stitched together a 106-run opening partnership in little more than 9 overs. Finch struck six fours in his innings and also cleared the ropes with four sixes, three of them off consecutive balls.

The peak of his knock was when he struck these three sixes in the eighth over of the innings, bowled by leggie Marnus Labuschagne. He was dismissed on 71 by Mark Steketee, who slipped a well-disguised slower delivery on good length and got Finch caught at the mid-wicket boundary.

#4 Ferguson’s cameo after brief lull takes Renegades close to 200

Callum Ferguson scored 31 off just 15 balls to help the Renegades to a good total

With the departure of Finch, the Renegades innings lost its momentum briefly in the middle after being very well-placed at 137/2 in 13.2 overs. This passage of play, during the crucial last few overs saw them lose three wickets and play out as many as 25 deliveries without scoring a single boundary as the Heat bowlers pull back with a more disciplined effort.

However, Callum Ferguson made up for this brief lull with an unbeaten, cameo innings of 31 off 15 balls. Taking on Ben Cutting in the final over of the innings, he struck two consecutive sixes and a four to help Renegades inch closer to 200.

#3 Baz matches Finch’s knock, but falls short

Despite McCullum’s quick-fire knock, Heat just fell short of the target.

With exactly 200 to chase, Brendon McCullum was the ideal man to start at the top of the order and play an innings equivalent to the one by Finch. McCullum looked in supreme touch as he cracked an 18-ball 50 – the second-fastest in the tournament’s history – and looked like he would chase down, what initially looked like a tall order for Heat against an attack that boasts of Sunil Narine and Brad Hogg in its arsenal.

In fact, at the end of the first five overs, Heat had bettered the start of Renegades, blasting 84 runs at a mind-boggling run rate of close to 17 as against the former’s 60 in the same number of overs. However, this blitz at the top was not enough to win the game after a very bizarre last few overs.

#2 Hogg quietens the Baz storm

Hogg conceded just 18 runs and picked up 1 wicket

Much like the pattern in the first innings, the middle overs saw the batting team shift down the gears after a blitz at the start. The sixth over of the innings, bowled by Thisara Perera applied the brakes as the all-rounder conceded a mere one run and picked the wicket of Sam Heazlett.

Thereafter, Hogg delivered three overs and conceded only 8 runs. After reaching his fifty, McCullum could add only 6 more runs in his next 17 deliveries – scoring just 2 runs off 9 balls from Hogg. In addition, Hogg also contributed with the crucial wicket of Alex Ross.

#1 Four wides, two sixes, two run outs and victory

The last over had it all – sixes, run outs and wides

Once Hogg was safely negotiated, Ben Cutting let loose on Perera, clubbing him for two consecutive sixes, and the required equation was brought down to 39 from the last 4 overs. However, Narine conceded just five more in the 17th over and Rimmington bowled an 8-run over in the next while removing the dangerous Cutting.

Narine returned to bowl the penultimate over and picked up two wickets, leaving the Heat to score 18 runs off the final over from Rimmington to secure victory. The first delivery was a wide, while Joe Burns smashed the next two for sixes over the mid-wicket fence. Rimmington, however, had his man the very next ball, mishitting to Perera at long-off. Heat need just 5 off 3 and Rimmington erred in line to deliver another wide.

Another widish ball saw Buchanan hitting to Finch at cover and missing the non-striker’s end, courtesy a sharp throw from Finch and quick hands from Rimmington. By now, the plan was clear – to bowl wide of the stumps. Rimmington, erred a bit too much, though, conceding two more wides in the over.

However, the latter of the two bizarrely resulted in another run-out and a narrow victory for the Renegades. With 3 required off the last ball, Steketee and Swepson attempted for a desperate run off byes but the latter was caught short of the crease.