The Perth Scorchers remain undefeated at the top of the Big Bash table after a thrilling 21-run win over the Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday in the second-highest ever score at the venue.
The red-hot Mitch Marsh set the Scorchers up sensationally with the bat with a huge 86 off 53 balls, while Laurie Evans finished off the visitors’ innings to take them to a mammoth total of 5/206.
It was always going to be a huge total to chase down, but the Renegades made a fair first of it.
Hard-hitting pair Aaron Finch, who was playing his first BBL game since the T20 World Cup, and Nic Maddinson went berserk to build a massive 130-run partnership — the biggest in Renegades history and create a thrilling contest — while the latter was dropped on 49 in a key missed opportunity for Perth.
But after wreaking havoc with the bat, Marsh also got the key breakthrough with the ball by dismissing Maddison caught behind, while Ashton Agar took Finch’s wicket not long after.
From there the Renegades’ run rate slowed right down as the middle order weren’t able to continue the momentum, finishing 5-185 in a total that would’ve won at Marvel Stadium on most other nights.
It marked the Scorchers’ sixth win of the season as the favourite to take out this year’s BBL title.
