Skipper powers new-look Renegades to first up win

Melbourne Renegades skipper Nic Maddinson has plundered a scintillating 87 runs against Brisbane Heat to set up a 22-run victory in his 100th KFC BBL game.

Maddinson got out of the blocks quickly, kept his cool when four wickets fell in a clump, and put his foot down again late to lift the Renegades to 7-166 batting first in Cairns after being sent in.

In reply the Heat were restricted to 6-144.

West Indies T20 international Akeal Hossein (3-15 off four overs) opened the bowling for the Renegades with his left-arm finger spinners and dismissed opener Max Bryant for a duck with his fifth delivery and the momentum stayed with the Renegades from then on.

Hossein was playing his first game in the BBL and was the dominant bowler on the night to give the Renegades a great start to the new season after finishing bottom of the ladder last season.

Heat recruit Colin Munro (35 off 30 balls), with 65 T20 internationals to his name for New Zealand, was finding top form with the bat before he was run out by a direct hit from Tom Rogers.

When Brisbane skipper Jimmy Peirson was bowled by Hossein for 43 off 30 deliveries in the 15th over the required rate was nearing the unachievable.

The 30-year-old Maddinson earlier set the platform for victory, taking 20 off Xavier Bartlett's second over and a further 22 off his third in a 49-ball innings, including 10 fours and three sixes, that produced his highest score in T20 cricket.

West Indies international Andre Russell (35 off 28 balls) celebrated his return to the Renegades with a powerhouse innings including three sixes.

The visitors rocketed to 0-65 off six overs before Sam Harper (21) was well caught at fine leg by Josh Brown off the first delivery bowled by the impressive James Bazley (2-19 off four).

The Renegades lost 4-22 in six overs due to some shrewd captaincy by Heat skipper Jimmy Peirson and smart bowling by spinners Mitch Swepson (1-30) and Matt Kuhnemann (3-32).

Swepson knocked over Jake Fraser-McGurk (3) with a classic googly before Kuhnemann took two wickets in one over by slowing down his pace and bamboozling Aaron Finch (4) and offseason recruit Jono Wells (1).

That was when Maddinson and Russell took control in a 78-run stand off 46 deliveries.

Maddinson, when on 42, was involved in a bizarre incident when he played a pull-shot off Mark Steketee.

The ball lobbed over the stumps but one bail came off.

On review it was clear that the dislodged bail was an unexplainable mystery but no fault of the batter.