Mackenzie Harvey is on the radar of rival BBL clubs after hitting two centuries to lead the One-Day Cup run scoring this summer
One-day domination piques interest for Renegades batter
Melbourne Renegades may not have closed the door on out-of-contract batter Mackenzie Harvey, but they may face competition to keep him for BBL|15 after his red-hot one-day form for South Australia this summer.
It's understood Harvey – whose one-year deal expired at the end of KFC BBL|14 – is on the radar of rival clubs after limited opportunities at the Renegades over the past three seasons.
The 24-year-old scored 45 runs in five games for the Renegades in BBL|14 but has been the leading batter in the One-Day Cup competition this domestic season with 311 runs at 62.
The left-hander slammed his second 50-over century of the campaign in South Australia’s loss to Tasmania on Sunday, but his scintillating form had already helped secure their spot in the tournament final, which they will host against his former state Victoria on Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
While Harvey’s T20 form has tapered since he was second behind Aaron Finch in the club's runs tally for BBL|11, he says the "mental refresh" from his switch to SA had helped him rediscover his best in the one-day format.
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"The move over was something that I definitely needed to do," Harvey said today in the lead up to Saturday's One-Day Cup final.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity SA have given me.
"I think when you're stuck in the same ways, there's sometimes where you just need to get out of it and start afresh so when the opportunity came up, I was pretty quick to jump onto it.
"Now, being in South Australia and enjoying my cricket and being around everyone here has been great.
"If I can do my job out in the middle and put our side in the best position possible, that's all I really care about and (leading) the runs on top of that is just a bonus."
The top-order batter has been with the Renegades since he was 17 when signed as a replacement player for Finch in January 2018.
He made his Big Bash debut the following December and played in the club's maiden men's championship in BBL|08, scoring 14 in their triumph over the Stars in the final.
Harvey batted in the middle-order during his five BBL appearances this summer with a top score of 11 in the 'Gades season opener against Sydney Sixers, while he guided them home on a tricky batting surface with 10 not out in their huge win over eventual champions Hobart Hurricanes in their second match in Geelong.
But he only managed single figures in his next three games before being left out of the side for the second half of the season.
While Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said their top priority was securing young talent such as batter Ollie Peake and spinner Callum Stow for BBL|15, he said they were also in talks with stalwarts Harvey and Jon Wells.
The Renegades were the most active club in the BBL's inaugural post-season Player Movement Window, bringing in free agents Jason Behrendorff and Brendan Doggett while also signing batter Caleb Jewell from the Hurricanes.
The club will be permitted to add another four local domestic players to their list for BBL|15 once the league's contracting embargo lifts next month.
"He's a Renegades person that has been with us for a long time," Rosengarten said of Harvey.
"The reality is you can't sign everyone now, but guys like Jon and Mackenzie, they're both ones that we will keep talking to and working with and there's the chance that they'll be back next year."
Veteran batter Wells fought his way into the side in the second half of BBL|14, scoring 45 off 31 balls in his first appearance of the season against the Stars at the MCG before suffering a significant hamstring strain while fielding in their next match.
It left the 36-year-old on 2999 runs for his BBL career.
Meanwhile, the Renegades appear to have moved on from veteran quick Kane Richardson after signing Behrendorff and Doggett for three and two years respectively.
Richardson signed a monster five-year deal to join the Renegades from Adelaide Strikers in 2017, which he extended by another three in 2021. The 34-year-old is the 'Gades most prolific men's bowler with 104 wickets across his eight seasons at the club.
"The reality with our bowling attack is that it probably needed a bit of variety, so to add a left-armer in (Jason) Behrendorff and a high ball speed bowler in (Brendan) Doggett, we were really clear on that," Rosengarten said.
"With Tom (Rogers), the leg-spin of (Adam) Zampa and Will Sutherland, that's a well-rounded attack."