Lynn and Labuschagne do the damage with the bat before Steketee claims three in 26-run win over the cellar dwellers
Match Report:
ScorecardHeat dismantle Gades to stay in BBL finals race
The match in a tweet: Heat stay alive! Lynn & Labuschagne are fire & ice before bowlers do the business over Renegades at Marvel #BBL10
The scorecard: Brisbane Heat 5-173 (Lynn 52, Labuschagne 49; Evans 3-34) beat Melbourne Renegades 147 (Harper 57, Marsh 28; Steketee 3-41) by 26 runs
The points: Heat 4, Renegades 0
The heroes: As ever, the fortunes of the Heat appeared to run in tandem with those of Chris Lynn. Lynn was out of the blocks with a couple of maximums early, prompting even Renegades 'keeper Sam Harper to express his concern that a total of 200-plus would be on the cards if the Heat talisman stayed at the crease. Those fears looked likely to be realised when Lynn blazed a six over cover to move to his fourth fifty of the tournament, but from the very next ball he picked out deep midwicket. The Heat lost 4-41 from there but the return of Marnus Labuschagne spared another dramatic collapse, the Test No3 compiling an inventive 49 from 31 balls – the highest score of his 11-innings T20 career. Labuschagne then chipped in with a handy spell, taking the big wicket of Sam Harper in figures of 1-10 from two overs.
The support cast: It was a pretty disciplined all-round bowling display from a Heat attack that benefited from the return of Ben Laughlin, who finished with impressive figures of 0-17 from three overs in his first match since December 23. Mark Steketee (3-41) was expensive but he claimed the big wicket of Aaron Finch to set the tone for the Heat, and returned later to add two more victims, while Mitch Swepson's dismissal of Shaun Marsh meant the Renegades were always on the back foot.
The consolation efforts: Harper was in some touch today, and as long as the Gades 'keeper-batsman was out there, his side looked a chance of chasing down what proved a strong Heat total. Harper times the ball beautifully and as such his hitting prowess belies his diminutive stature, but ultimately his excellent cameo wasn't enough. Earlier, fresh from two big wickets in the Melbourne derby, paceman Zak Evans (3-34) claimed the key wickets of Heat openers Lynn and Max Bryant in the same over. He came back later to remove Labuschagne at the close, ending with his first three-wicket haul in the Bash.
Maxi's moment: It hasn't been Renegades coach Michael Klinger's summer, but hey, every dog has his day…
'Still got it!' There's crowd catches, then there's this effort from Maxi Klinger while chatting to @FoxCricket! 😂👏👏 #BBL10 | @BKTtires pic.twitter.com/Zdb3mg7aM8— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 23, 2021
The stat: Steketee is now behind only Jhye Richardson (25) with 22 wickets for BBL|10. It's the most ever by a Heat player in a single edition of the tournament.
The next stops: The Heat play a must-win final group match in Adelaide against the Scorchers on January 26, while the Renegades play later the same day against the Hurricanes in Melbourne.