The third round of this season of the Big Bash League continues on Monday with the Melbourne Renegades hosting the Brisbane Heat at the Etihad Stadium from 7.40pm AEDT.
This will be a crucial match for the Renegades after they lost two in a row to kick-start the campaign. Another defeat here will dim their chances of making it to the knock-out stage of the competition.
What will worry the Renegades is that while it was poor bowling in the first game that lost them the game to the Melbourne Stars, the defeat at the hands of the Perth Scorchers came despite needing to chase down only 118 for a win.
Yes, the Renegades were relegated to the record books, albeit for the wrong reasons, with 118 becoming the lowest score not to be chased down in the Big Bash League.
The one common theme in both games has been the poor Renegades batting. In the first game, on a flat batting track and with very small boundaries at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Renegades scored only 132. Aaron Finch and Jos Buttler were the only ones to get a start.
Then against the Scorchers, there were six batsmen who got to scores between 10 and 21 but none of them broke free to propel the side to a win. In fact, at 38 without loss in 4.1 overs chasing 118, they would be thinking of improving their net run-rate.
Around 15 odd overs later they had failed clinch the win.
Brisbane Heat will be fuming with their bowling display as well. After winning their opener, they had a chance to make it two wins in a row when they scored the highest score in all Big Bash League innings – getting to 3/209 in their 20 overs.
And despite that they never had the Hurricanes under control and allowed them to get away with a win with four balls to spare. The pitch at the Gabba was flat, but the likes of Nathan Hauritz, Alister McDermott, Dan Christian and Ben Cutting will be highly disappointed with their showing.
The Heat will hope for Luke Pomersbach to come good at the top of the innings after successive failures even as they will be satisfied with the way Craig Kieswetter, Joe Burns and Christian went about their batting in their previous game.
However they will go into the game without captain James Hopes who suffered an injury last game.
For the Renegades, captain Aaron Finch has scores of 32 and 15 and will hope to convert his start into something bigger. Alex Doolan has been selected to the Australian Test squad, so his selection is in doubt while Jos Buttler will play in this one after Mohammad Hafeez did not make it to Australia because of his national commitments.
Join us for the Melbourne Renegades v Brisbane Heat match in the Big Bash League 2013-14 on Sunday and you can follow the live score of this game from 7.40 pm AEDT and post your comments below.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Thanks for following this live coverage, I will be back for the next game tomorrow, between the Adelaide Strikers and the Perth Scorchers. Have a good evening ahead.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
The Renegades have registered their first win in the competition this season, which would be bit of a relief. Again, it was Aaron Finch who got them going - they are heavily dependent on him - and along with Jos Buttler, added 108 quick runs for the second wicket. Finch made 81 and looked for triple-figures while Buttler made 61. Then, there was a rollicking 11-ball 36 from Ben Rohrer that propelled them to the 200-plus score, which was more than par for this slow pitch. Brisbane never got going in their chase, lost wickets regularly and had to endure an escalating required-rate. In the end, they fell 57 short. Aaron O'Brien and Nathan Rimmington took a couple of wickets each while James Pattinson, on his return to competitive cricket, grabbed three. He ended with figures of 3/36 in four.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Bowled out, the Heat are dismissed in the 20th over. Vettori is run-out. The Renegades win by 58 runs! That's their first win.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
End of Gannon, Pattinson has his third on comeback. Moves around on his crease, and he gets bowled because it's too quick for them. 9/151 in 19 overs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Brisbane are 74 short with 12 balls remaining. Vettori has been trying out some quite weird walking shot but he's junked all that for short ball smacked over the mid-wicket for a six, caught, but in the crowds! 8/145 in 18.3
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And another one goes, run-out. Vettori was calling Hauritz over for a bye but the ball's very, very close the keeper, who whips one in and throws down the stumps. Hauritz is miles out.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Blasted and caught! There were too many short ones but this was fuller and he seemed to have whipped it off the middle... ...hit well but straight to long-on and they have lost their seventh. Cutting departs for 40 from 19, Pattinson has struck.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Fifth one and that's a six too! Short of length yet again and banged over deep square-leg for a maximum. 6/125 in the 17th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Where was Cutting earlier? Here's another one that's landed in the crowd, his fourth one this innings, and he's moved on to 34. Interesting he has hit four sixes in his BBL career before this. He's doubled the tally here. That was off Pattinson too! 6/119 in the 17th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And another one! Six more off Murali, and Cutting again. He is having a flay at the Sri Lankan legend here. 6/111 in the 16th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Six more! Poor, poor ball from Murali and Cutting has deposited it over deep square-leg for a six! Ricky Ponting reckons it's the first time in a decade he has seen Murali bowl such a poor delivery. 6/104 in the 16th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And gone, Forrest goes, outside edge caught at backward point. Forrest had no option but to go after the bowling and O'Brien sends it down quicker and outside the off. Slashed it to the fielder. Easy catch. 6/97 in 15.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
That's six of those runs needed! Short of length from Obi and easily dispatched over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. 5/94 in 14.1
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
1/14 in his three overs for Murali. 123 needed from six now. O'Brien comes back on.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Bowled him, Murali has one now! Lynn's on his way back. Quicker, flatter and was nowhere near the stumps, but Lynn was walking down the pitch to try and hit him over the leg-side. Hit his pads and rattles the stumps. 5/88 in the 14th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Two wickets for three runs in the 13th over. 128 needed from seven and the game seems all over bar the shouting unless Lynn & Cutting can conjure up a miracle. A big one. 4/83 in 13. Murali comes back.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Cutting has managed to avert the hat-trick. Was a bouncer on his body and he does well to pull it down to deep square-leg for a single. 4/81 in the 13th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Gone again, Rimmington has two in two! Length ball and he was looking to slog it across the line. The length was good for a slog but Dan Christian misses and he's bowled! Second one in the over, fourth of the innings for the Renegades. Trouble. Hat-trick chance for Rimmington. 4/80 in 12.2
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Gone, caught! Buttler has taken a good one! Burns was looking to mow it across the line and over the deep mid-wicket fielder, but mistimes it. I think it's hit the toe of the bat as well and gone quite low in front of that deep fielder, who dives in front of him and picks up a superb one. Rimmington gets the wicket. 3/80 in 12.1
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Buttler on the microphone says this is his last match in the BBL. He will join the English side for the ODIs and the T20Is against Australia. Meanwhile, the Heat have crawled up to 2/80 in 12. 131 needed from 8.