Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades Highlights: Big Bash League cricket scores, blog

As the sixth edition of the Big Bash League draws to a close, no team is more desperate than the Melbourne Renegades, whose semi-final ambitions hinge on this away fixture against the Brisbane Heat. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:30pm (AEDT)

The scenario for the Renegades is simple: win big!

Even if the Gades can pull off a victory against the league leaders, their fate still lies in the hands of other fixtures. With a current net run rate lower than finals competitors the Perth Scorchers, the Renegades need a big win and for the Sydney Sixers to win their game, or the Melbourne side won’t feature in the finals.

This perilous position is the result of a three-game losing streak, which they broke on Monday against the Strikers. However, once again things fell apart for the Renegades in the latter stages of their innings, as what was looking like a 200-plus score ended up at a modest 171, with Cameron White, Tom Cooper and Callum Ferguson failing to continue on after promising starts.

Marcus Harris was the man of the match against Adelaide, with a stunning 85 off just 53 balls, in a coming-of-age innings for the young man once dubbed by Justin Langer as “mediocre with flashes of brilliance”.

Former Aussie Test wicketkeeper Peter Nevill will miss this match, after a freak accident saw him suffer facial injuries against the Strikers, being hit in the face with a bat. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Renegades call upon a fill-in wicketkeeper, or strengthen their bowling stocks and give skipper Aaron Finch the gloves.

Spearhead James Pattinson will be given time to prove his fitness after leaving the ground with an unknown injury on Monday night.

As for Brisbane, despite being without either of the ‘Bash Brothers’, Brendon McCullum and Chris Lynn, the Heat proved they were no two-man team against the Melbourne Stars on Tuesday, claiming a seven-wicket away win.

Their young bowling attack was once again superb, restricting the Stars to 138, while fill-in skipper Joe Burns and ‘sweepologist’ Alex Ross put on an unbeaten 74-run fourth wicket stand to cruise to victory.

Despite being without superstar Chris Lynn for the remainder of the tournament, the Heat will welcome the dual returns of internationals Brendon McCullum (suspension) and Samuel Badree (hamstring).

These two sides have met one another on five occasions, the Renegades having taken four victories to the Heat’s one. Last year’s fixture was a thriller, with the Renegades chasing down 180 with three balls to spare, with Aaron Finch’s 65 off just 44 balls seeing him named man of the match.

Prediction
If the Renegades can claim the scalp of McCullum for less than 20, they should secure victory and keep their season alive.

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