Melbourne Renegades 3 for 116 (Cooper 49, Harper 31, O'Keefe 2-23) beat Sydney Sixers 9 for 115 (Curran 44, Nabi 4-25, Richardson 3-26) by seven wickets
The Renegades dealt the Sixers a thrashing at the SCG, taking only 13 overs to coast past the home side's paltry total of 115.
Both sides arrived as part of the mid-table logjam with eight points each, and were met with a beautiful Sydney evening. On what appeared to be a flat pitch, the Renegades won the flip and elected to field. From there, they controlled the match from start to finish, seeing excellent contributions from Mohammad Nabi and Kane Richardson with the ball, while Tom Cooper and Sam Harper put the result beyond doubt with the bat.
Sixers undone By seam
The Renegades got the jump, restricting the Sixers to 3 for 20 after the Powerplay. with Daniel Hughes the first to depart after under-edging Richardson through to keeper Sam Harper, before new recruit James Vince chopped on attempting a booming off-drive from the bowling of new Renegades recruit Harry Gurney.
Matters got worse for the Sixers after captain Moises Henriques spliced a pull to a diving Tom Cooper at midwicket, leaving opener Jack Edwards and Jordan Silk to repair the damage to the Sixers' innings. Both soaked up numerous dot balls before Edwards shovelled one to Cameron White, just one ball after being dropped by the same player in the same position.
As is common after a flurry of wickets, the ensuing period was relatively quiet. Save for some audacious flips over leg from Josh Phillippe, the Sixers were content with batting conservatively. Despite the caution, they still continued to lose wickets. Richardson shaped as the chief destroyer; having already accounted for Hughes and Henriques, he had Silk comfortably taken at third man. Soon after it was Phillippe's turn to go, bowled by Nabi for an enterprising 20 after exposing his stumps trying to sweep.
Curran resists; Nabi cleans up the tail
At 6 for 72 after 15, the SCG DJ summed up proceedings for the home side by spinning Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time."
Tom Curran, meanwhile, attempted to march things forward with some lusty blows, including one back-foot six over extra-cover that will be worthy of any BBL highlights reel. He then managed to strike two long balls into the Members' pavilion off Nabi from the final over of the innings, though Nabi had the last laugh, accounting for Curran with the final ball of the innings to go along with the scalps of Philippe, Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis.
That said, Curran's efforts at the death managed to provide the Sixers with some impetus, and a small ray of light heading into the innings break.
Renegades edge toward finals
Whereas the Sixers laboured from start to finish, the Renegades flew from the off. They were 1 for 58 after the Powerplay courtesy some fine strokemaking by Cooper. That figure was their best result in the Powerplay this tournament, and from there they didn't look back.
If Cooper was the mainstay, Sam Harper was the bright spark. Tonight's innings of 31 from 24 showcased his class, as he regularly took bowlers through point and over midwicket, once again showcasing an array of shots that permits him to "play 360," as they say in the biz.
Along with Cooper's, his hand allowed the Renegades to find some breathing space on the BBL table. They now move to 10 points, and can reflect on a team with contributions all around the park. Richardson set them going tonight, and his haul propels him to equal top of the BBL wicket-takers. Gurney was impressive tonight too, as was Nabi. The Renegades' top order is looking increasingly settled, and with Aaron Finch set to return, they could pose a genuine threat as we move deeper into tournament.
