When you think of the Big Bash League in Australia, you generally picture high-paced cricketing action, big sixes and the likes. However, today was not the day for such imagination, as we witnessed a very low scoring encounter on just Day 2 of the tournament, in a match between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers.
Led by new captain Tom Cooper, the Renegades won the toss and elected to go in to field first, which seemed to be the right decision at their home ground – Docklands Stadium, Melbourne. They picked regular wickets and managed to restrict the Scorchers to just 103/10, bowling them out with an over still to spare.
Aussie bowlers Kane Richardson and Daniel Christian picked up 3 wickets each but the major damage was done by Pakistani left-arm quick, Usman Khan Shinwari, picking up 2/17 in his 4 overs. This seems to be the year for Asian cricketers at the Big Bash, as yesterday also saw Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Zadran performing.
Chasing 104 in a T20 match seems like nothing but a walk in the park, but the Renegades were in for a major surprise when they came out to bat, losing their first few wickets in a hurry. They had a much worse start than the Scorchers as they were knocked down to 17/4 early on, thanks to some good bowling and 2 wickets apiece for Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Pakistan pacer Usman Khan shines on his BBL debut. #BBL2018 pic.twitter.com/ulCnZaAV0S
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) December 20, 2018
However, what followed was a quickfire but stable partnership as Renegades began to canter home. Sam Harper was one man on a mission, fearlessly playing some beautiful shots on his way to 36(25), while his partner Mohammad Nabi from Afghanistan also scored freely, making 36(27).
Towards the end however, there was a slight hiccup as both the set batsmen lost their wickets in a single over, but they managed to get over the line, finishing the match with 4 wickets and 4.4 overs to spare, while also recording only their first ever victory against this opposition, who has troubled them for years now. Man of the Match: Usman Khan.
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