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Match Report:

Scorecard

History-making win for the Renegades

Bowlers inspire Melbourne Renegades to first-ever BBL victory over Perth Scorchers

The match in a tweet: Dan Christian-inspired Renegades start #BBL|08 with a bang after experiencing some nervous moments

The score: Perth Scorchers 103 (Klinger 28; Christian 3-22, Richardson 3-23) lost to Melbourne Renegades 6-107 (Harper 36, Nabi 35; Behrendorff 2-17) by four wickets with 28 balls to spare

The hero: Dan Christian only arrived in Melbourne in the the early hours of Wednesday morning after he was part of the Jozi Stars side that won the final of the South African T20 tournament on Sunday. He made an immediate impact for his new KFC BBL club after switching from Hobart Hurricanes, grabbing the key wickets of Perth Scorchers trio Michael Klinger, Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar to finish with figures of 3-22 from his three overs. Christian also made 13 not out the bat, hitting a six to seal victory. The allrounder plays in T20 tournaments across the globe and is a six-time championship winner. The Renegades will be hoping his history of success will help them go a couple of steps further this summer after last season’s semi-final loss.

Christian red-hot for Renegades

The supporting cast: Where do you start? The bowling performance from the Renegades was outstanding. Kane Richardson (3-23 from four overs), Jack Wildermuth (2-13 from three) and Pakistan left-armer Usman Shinwari (2-17 from four) combined to dismantle the Scorchers, while Cameron Boyce returned tidy figures of 0-13 from four overs in a spell which included 13 dot balls. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Harper, who was added to the squad once Aaron Finch became available, played a gem of an innings under pressure, hitting 36 from 25 balls and Mohammad Nabi finished with 35 from 27. The pair put on a match-winning 68-run stand after their team tumbled to 4-17 in the run chase.

The consolation act: Jason Behrendorff, one of the best bowlers in the competition, removed Tim Ludeman and Cameron White during an impressive spell after the Scorchers put a paltry total on the board. Behrendorff finished with 2-17 from four overs but it wasn’t enough to inspire his team to victory. 

The delivery: With the Renegades wobbling at 2-10 against Perth’s crack bowling line-up, Behrendorff delivered a superb inswinger to castle key man Cameron White for just two and give the home side some serious concerns. Ultimately, the Renegades recovered but Perth should never be counted out.

The first-gamers: With Finch and Marcus Harris absent because of Test duties and Chris Tremain overlooked for selection, five players – Will Sutherland, Shinwari, Boyce, Harper and Christian – made their first appearances for the Renegades. 

The sigh of relief: Shinwari impressed in his first BBL outing, with the left-arm paceman collecting tidy figures of 2-17 from four overs and removing Sam Whiteman and Hilton Cartwright. But the Pakistani dropped a relatively straightforward caught-and-bowled chance in the ninth over of the Scorchers’ innings off star batsman Michael Klinger when he was on 25. Fortunately for Shinwari, Klinger added just three runs to his tally before being bowled by Christian.

The roof: Ashton Turner was gifted six runs from the first ball of the 13th over after he sent a Christian delivery into the Marvel Stadium roof. The Renegades allrounder gained retribution off the next ball when he dismissed the right-hander. Under the BBL’s playing conditions, batsmen who hit the roof are awarded maximum runs.

Turner handed six runs after hitting roof

The stats: Tonight marked Renegades’ first-ever win over the Scorchers in their ninth attempt since the BBL’s inception. It is also the first time in six seasons the Perth team has lost their opening game of the tournament.

The big over: With the Renegades at 4-42 and the match still in the balance, Usman Qadir’s first over – and eighth of the innings – went for 16 runs. Harper smacked a six and a four and from there the home team’s nerves were eased as they cruised to victory.

The next stops: The Renegades will be looking to continue their good form when they face defending champions Adelaide Strikers, who knocked off Brisbane Heat in their season opener, at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. The Scorchers will take on Sydney Sixers at the SCG on Saturday.

Renegades XI: Tom Cooper (C), Tim Ludeman (wk), Sam Harper, Cameron White, Mohammad Nabi, Dan Christian, Jack Wildermuth, Cameron Boyce, Kane Richardson, Usman Shinwari, Will Sutherland

Scorchers XI: Mitchell Marsh (C), Sam Whiteman (wk), Michael Klinger, Hilton Cartwright, David Willey, Ashton Turner, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye, Usman Qadir, Jason Behrendorff