Brisbane Heat defeat Melbourne Renegades by 5 wickets, Joe Burns stars with 31* off 15 balls
Brisbane Heat continued their decent run as they defeated Melbourne Renegades by five wickets in the season's 39th BBL encounter. Chris Lynn's 50 and a cameo by Joe Burns helped the Heat chase down Melbourne Renegades' modest target of 150 in 18.4 overs.
With this win, the Brisbane-based outfit has won four of its last five games.
Chris Lynn and Joe Burns set up Brisbane Heat's 5th BBL win of the season
Chasing 150 for the win, Chris Lynn and Max Bryant provided a steady and cautious start as they put up 42 runs in the first six overs. Peter Hatzoglou's leg-spin broke the opening partnership as Max Bryant holed out at long-on for 23.
Joe Denly then formed a decent partnership with Lynn, and the two took the score to 72-1 in 10 overs. Lynn was cleaned up by Australian international Kane Richardson, and the Renegades got some hope. The Heat then lost three wickets in 3 consecutive overs. They were 116-4 in 16 overs, needing 34 off the last 24 balls.
Joe Burns provided the game-changing moment as he launched an attack on Hatzoglou and Noor Ahmad in the Power Surge overs. The two overs brought 24 runs. Burns guided his team home with an unbeaten 31 off 15 balls, which consisted of four fours and a six.
Brisbane Heat's tight bowling restricts Melbourne Renegades to 149-6
Earlier, Chris Lynn won the toss and decided to field first. Melbourne Renegades were boosted by the return of their top scorer, Shaun Marsh. He had missed the last two BBL games due to the birth of his third child. The left-hander didn't trouble the scorers as Xavier Bartlett dismissed him for a golden duck in the first over.
Mackenzie Harvey was then dismissed in the fourth over as Joe Burns took a stunner at point off the bowling of Matthew Kuhnemann. Sam Harper too didn't last long, and the Renegades were 46-3 in their first seven overs.
The plan to move Aaron Finch to No. 4 didn't work as he managed a run-a-ball 13 before being caught lbw by Jack Wildermuth. Surprisingly, Brisbane Heat used BBL X-Factor to bring in Morne Morkel in place of Xavier Bartlett, who has looked good this season.
The Renegades took the BBL Power Surge in the 15th over and the two overs yielded only 14 runs. The last four overs yielded 38 runs thanks to big hits provided by Beau Webster who managed an unbeaten 50.
However, Brisbane Heat successfully chased the target to pile more misery on Melbourne Renegades. The latter have now lost eight games in this campaign, and are firmly placed at the bottom of the BBL points table.
Brief BBL score: Melbourne Renegades 149-6 (Webster 50*, Steketee 2-24 ). Brisbane Heat 150-5 in 18.4 overs (Lynn 50, Prestwidge 1-26). The Heat won by 5 wickets.