The first Big Bash League game of the year 2021 ended up being a rain-marred encounter with Sydney Thunder beating Melbourne Renegades by seven runs via Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) method. After posting a gritty 166 runs in 17 overs in the first innings, Renegades failed to keep Thunder’s scoring rate under check, courtesy some phenomenal batting by Alex Hales. After Hales’ departure, Usman Khawaja took charge and saw Thunder through taking them to 117-2 in 12 overs, when heavy showers stopped play and gifted Thunder their fifth win on the bounce, since their first match defeat against Melbourne Stars.
Once ranked 1 in the ICC T20 batsman rankings (2014), it is safe to say that Alex Hales had an underwhelming career. He played 60 T20 matches in the last decade never managed to establish his place as one of the most destructive openers T20 cricket has ever seen.
Having said that, at 31 it isn’t too late I guess. In the current edition of the Big Bash League, Hales has scored 197 runs from six matches at a strike rate of 175.89. Along with Usman Khawaja, he has provided important starts to his team and has been instrumental in taking the game away from the opposition from the get-go.
Chasing a revised target of 173 from 17 overs in a rain-marred game, Alex Hales’ attacked Renegades from ball one. The attack wasn’t mindless. He knew which balls to push, which ones to slog and which to punch. The controlled aggression meant that when Hales (45 off 19) got out in the last ball of the powerplay, Striker were cruising at 13 runs per over. The early onslaught provided the rest of the batsmen enough margin to mess up and then get their chase back on track.
There can be no arguments that Shaun Marsh was the best batsman of the game tonight. His 87 off 48 balls with no support saw Renegades post a respectable total. This is turning out to be a pattern for the Melbourne team where nobody has seemed to get going this season. They started off with good intent but once again failed to stick around and deliver.
Conversely, Usman Khawaja’s gritty knock in a stop-start second innings (rain delays) saw Thunder through. Yes, a lot of it was because of the start Hales provided, but Khawaja held the tempo of the game once he departed. Not out at 48 off 34, he saw through the difficult overs of Imad Wasim and kept the score running at least 10 per over.
Sydney Thunder are one tightly packed unit. Each player knows their role well and they do not lose their heads easily. They have Daniel Sams who moves the ball early in the innings and then returns later with cutters. Offie Chris Green can bowl in the powerplay and then land yorkers at the death. If you can escape those two, you have a young leg spinner in Tanveer Sangha who has earned plaudits for his approach and quality.
And this cohesion is not easy to achieve and Renegades are a sufferer of that. They have lost five on a trot now and reel at the bottom position of the league with just four points in six games.
All’s not lost though. The highlight of the game today was a catch taken at point by Mackenzie Harvey who flung himself to his left to dismiss Alex Hales. Like most balls today, Alex Hales middled the final ball of the fourth over. The wide full toss from Mitch Perry, rocketed off his bat and to everyone’s disbelief it was caught at point.
Seeing that the Australian weather is a bit unpredictable, today’s game is another good reminder that, if there is rain in the forecast, take your Power Surge early on and use it as a launchpad. Renegades tonight missed an over of Surge after the game was halted at the end of the 12th over. This meant that they were able to take just one Power Surge over with a set Shaun Marsh in the crease.
Once they took the Surge they scored 67 from the last 5 overs, safe to say, they could have scored at least 10 more.
Now, a third of the tournament has been played and themes have clearly emerged. Safe to stay that Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers and Thunder are the early advancers, while Finch led Renegades and Chris Lynn’s Brisbane Heat need to get their act sorted if they are to remain in the league.
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