Melbourne Renegades defeated the Melbourne Stars by nine wickets in a rain shortened match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Match in a tweet: Renegades upset the table-topping Stars in front of a record breaking WBBL crowd thanks to blistering start from skipper Rachael Priest
The score: Melbourne Stars 3-127 (Lanning 64) in 20 overs lost to Melbourne Renegades 1-52 (Priest 31) in 5.3 overs on Duckworth-Lewis by nine wickets
The hero: Sensing a little drizzle in the air, Rachael Priest flew out of the blocks to hit seven fours in the first 16 deliveries she faced. The captain's conscious decision to attack from the outset was pivotal in the Renegades staying ahead of the D/L par score. Priest kickstarted her innings by smashing three boundaries in the second over of the innings from left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen, before carrying on her aggressive mood against pacer Emma Kearney. Priest's knock of 31 fom 19 balls proved to be the difference in the rain-shortened match.
Priest's blazing start
The record: The final attendance of 24,547 was a record for a WBBL match
The consolation act: The runs just keep flowing from Meg Lanning' willow in WBBL|02. The Stars run machine put the sword to the Renegades bowling unit with a scintillating knock of 64 from 53 balls. It was Lanning's fourth fifty of the season in which she has already amassed 333 runs at an average of 66.6. Playing second fiddle to Inglis early on, Lanning cut loose against the spinners. The Southern Stars captain’s ability to open the blade and score behind square on the off-side was mesmerising, as she continuously pierced the tight field. At one stage Lanning was 17 from 19 balls but she would end up smashing 47 from next 34 balls she faced.
Lanning scores yet another fifty
The support cast: Maitlan Brown’s figures of 4-0-12-0 might not look extraordinary but her miserly effort had a huge effect in halting the Stars momentum. Introduced to the bowling crease with Lanning and Inglis well set and rampaging along, Brown bowled 13 dot balls and conceded only one boundary. Brown continuously got her yorker in the block hole as the Stars failed to hit a boundary for a period of nearly six overs during the middle part of their innings. The clamps applied by Brown ensured the Stars were restricted to a modest total of 3-127.
The confusion: There was controversy at the end of the match with Lanning confused about the Duckworth Lewis rule. As per D/L regulations, once the revised target is declared, it will not change even if the batting team loses a wicket, unless there was another break in play. Though Lanning told Channel Ten she had been informed otherwise by match officials.
Lanning discusses the D/L method
The next stop: The Renegades and the Stars both host the Perth Scorchers in the coming week.
