Ice-cool Burns seals Heat win after late collapse

The match in a tweet: Burns ice-cool amid drama as red-hot Heat move to fifth on the #BBL10 ladder with win over Renegades

The score: Melbourne Renegades 6-149 (Webster 50no, Fraser-McGurk 40; Steketee 2-24) lost to Brisbane Heat 5-150 (Lynn 50, Burns 31no, Denly 31; Hatzoglou 2-28) by five wickets with eight balls remaining

The points: Melbourne Renegades 0, Brisbane Heat 4

The hero: It has not been a period to remember for Joe Burns, who lost his spot in Australia’s Test side after a lean run of form two games into the ongoing Vodafone Test Series against India. But tonight Burns was ice cool amid the run-chase drama as he punched out an unbeaten 31 from 15 deliveries to steer the Brisbane Heat to their fourth win from five games in a KFC BBL campaign that is gathering momentum. The Melbourne Renegades threatened to complete a snatch-and-grab against all the odds when the Heat slipped from 1-105 to 5-118 in the space of 14 balls in pursuit of 150. Enter Burns, who hit four boundaries and a six under pressure to lead his team to another crucial victory that lifted the Heat to fifth on the ladder.

The supporting cast: This was not exactly an eye-catching innings from Chris Lynn, as the Brisbane Heat basher rode his luck (more on that below) on his way 50 from 40 deliveries at the top of the order. In a low-scoring match, Lynn’s third half-century of an injury-interrupted tournament and second in a row proved decisive. Englishman Joe Denly also made an important 31, while Mark Steketee led the way with the ball, returning tidy figures of 2-24 from four overs.

The consolation acts: After failing to pass 10 in his first five knocks of the tournament, Beau Webster played a mature hand in the middle-order for the Renegades, compiling an unbeaten 50 from 40 deliveries. After arriving at the crease with his team 4-59, Webster hit three boundaries and two sixes, combining with teenager Jake Fraser-McGurk (40 from 33) for a 58-run stand for the fifth-wicket. The 18-year-old Fraser-McGurk also impressed in logging his best score of BBL|10 and is a top prospect with the bat.

The misfortune: Jack Prestwidge had every reason to shake his head. The paceman watched on in horror as youngster Noor Ahmad fumbled a chance from Lynn at deep backward square leg when the Heat captain was on 22. He later only had himself to blame after delivering a back foot no-ball – with his back foot touching the return crease – as Lynn was caught by Shaun Marsh when he had 35 on the board. While the Heat opener only added another 15, the misses proved costly for the misfiring Renegades.

The X-factor: Young paceman Xavier Bartlett has been an impressive performer for the Heat this season and wasted no time making an impact tonight, trapping the classy Shaun Marsh (who has three half-centuries in BBL|10) lbw with the fourth ball of match. But Bartlett was substituted for former South Africa star Morne Morkel at the 10-over mark despite claiming 1-2 from his only over. The towering Morkel finished with figures of 1-29 from his four overs, claiming the wicket of Prestwidge. The ex-international gun endured a frustrating wait to make his Heat debut, suffering an ankle injury before having to complete 14 days of quarantine given he lives in Sydney's northern beaches after gaining Australian residency last year.

The catch: Who needs two hands? This was a great grab from Joe Burns to end Mackenzie Harvey’s stay at the crease.

The slump: Renegades skipper Aaron Finch shifted down to No.4 in a bid to snap his run of low scores, but he was removed lbw by Jack Wildermuth for 13 from as many deliveries. With a young batting line-up and the exit of experienced allrounder Mohammad Nabi, the BBL|08 champions desperately need their leader firing, but Finch has 159 runs at 17.66 to his name this season, while his strike rate is 119.54.

The next stops: The Renegades will face rivals Melbourne Stars for the first time in BBL|10 at the MCG on Sunday (January 17), while the Heat will tackle the in-form Perth Scorchers at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Tuesday (January 19).

Brisbane Heat XI: Max Bryant, Chris Lynn (c), Joe Denly, Joe Burns, James Bazley, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Lewis Gregory, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann

Melbourne Renegades XI: Aaron Finch (c), Shaun Marsh, Sam Harper (wk), Mackenzie Harvey, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Beau Webster, Imad Wasim, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Peter Hatzoglou, Noor Ahmad