The Melbourne Renegades secured a much-needed victory by beating the Melbourne Stars in a derby match at the MCG on Tuesday (January 3).Both sides were victorious after an unpredictable start to their campaign I entered this game in search of In the end it was Tom Rogers’ five-wicket haul that made the difference as the Renegades won by 33 runs.
The Renegades started the game neatly on their racquets as Martin Guptyl looked at New Zealand teammate Trent Boult looking for the line. Sam Harper fell for the opposite ducks, but Guptil and Sean Marsh added 51 for the second wicket to build a solid foundation. Guptil then took the lead at 32 and the Stars slowly started to dominate the game from there.
Boult eliminated Aaron Finch and Marsh to hurt the Renegades while the rest of the attack also chimed in to attack regularly towards the end. Mackenzie Harvey was the only player to show resistance when he appeared in a key cameo appearance in which he pulled his ally past the 140 mark.
Chasing the 142, Stars had a very early shock. Joe Clarke was cast for Tom Rodgers’ second ball, while Bo Webster and Thomas Rodgers were released by the same bowler in the third over. Will Sutherland joined the party as soon as the top four were dismissed with single-digit scores.
It took almost a miracle for the Stars to come close to the target from his 18/4. Hilton Cartwright and Nick Larkin stabilized the innings for a while, but it didn’t last long. Rodgers returned to cause another collapse when four more batters failed to reach double figures. Larkin was the only one to offer a fight as he was unbeaten for 48, but Rodgers completed the move with his five wickets, finally giving his side a comfortable victory.
Brief scores: Melbourne Renegades 141/7 in 20 overs (Mackenzie Harvey 32*; Trent Boult 2/23) beat Melbourne Stars 108/9 in 20 overs (Nick Larkin 48*; Tom Rogers 5/16) by 33 runs