The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That will be all then from this contest and the BBL is up and running alright! If this is anything to go by, we should be in for a cracker of a tournament ahead. It's been a pleasure bringing the coverage of this contest to you today but in case the mid-week blues are about to set in by tomorrow, well fret not - it's a bumper Wednesday in store tomorrow with the Ashes, the Bangladesh-Pakistan test and a double-header in the BBL and the LPL coming your way! You do not want to miss out on this folks, so do join us again for our coverage of these games right here on Sportskeeda. For now though, on behalf of my friends and co-commentators Pradeep Somashekar and Pratyush Rohra, this is Sooryanarayanan Sesha humbly reminding you to mask up and get yourselves vaccinated in case you haven't already. Bye-bye and take care!
Zahir Khan (Player of the match): Firstly, I would like to thank god. Today was my day. The captain and Nabi support and encourage me on the ground, so I'm very happy with my performance. The management and the staff are also always very supportive of the young players.
Melbourne Renegades 153/9 in 20 overs, beat Adelaide Strikers 151/8 in 20 overs (Harry Nielsen 30 off 30 balls, Matthew Short 29 off 18 balls, Zahir Khan 3/24 off four overs) by 2 runs.
WHAT. A. GAME. Catch your breath, folks! This is just sinking in for us too! It was a contest that saw the pendulum swing from one end to the other at a fickle rate but in the end, it decided to stick with the Renegades, who remarkably held their nerve towards the end.
Matthew Short was batting on a different planet altogether with some belligerent hits in the Powerplay. The kind of start the Strikers got courtesy the right-hander meant that they were well on track to pull off this run chase. Once he departed, Harry Nielsen did well to nudge the ball around and play the spinners well in particular.
But the biggest moment of the game and one of the best in the tournament's history came in the form of a leaping Jake Fraser-McGurk near the mid-wicket fence. A one-handed stunner from the former Australian U19 captain saw the Renegades roar back into the contest. A few tight overs and the big wicket of Jonathan Wells then meant that the Strikers were short on the requisite experience to handle the clutch moments to come thereafter.
A rather bemusing factor was how late the Strikers timed the Power Surge, especially with wickets falling at regular intervals. Ryan Gibson retiring hurt with a hamstring injury didn't aid their cause either and with Rashid Khan and Daniel Drew signaling the Power Surge too late to the umpire's liking, even that had to be put off by an over.
Rashid brought out a couple of lusty hits before perishing and it was a rather similar innings from Daniel Worrall as well. It was always going to be about which team would hold their nerves better under pressure though and the experience of James Pattinson trumped the young Drew in the final over, as the Renegades scraped through by a mere 2 runs.
Another rather bemusing fact was that Ryan Gibson was padded up and ready to stride out if required. With the game heading into the last over, why was he held back? Was the injury too serious to aggravate or did the Strikers feel that they could get the job done via singles and twos, something which Gibson couldn't be relied upon with a dodgy hammy? We will never know, but we have witnessed quite a thriller alright! The Strikers take the Bash Boost point but the Renegades take three at the end of it to get on the board.
Heartbreak for the Adelaide Strikers! Take a bow, James Pattinson! He has held his nerve and sent down a brilliant final over to seal the deal for his team. Melbourne Renegades sneak home by a mere 2 runs!
20
overs
151/8score
0
W
0
2
2
2
runs
Ryan Gibson
8(7)
Daniel Drew*
24(20)
James Pattinson
1/27
19.6 Will Sutherland to Daniel Drew, THE RENEGADES CLINCH A THRILLER! Will Sutherland holds his nerve in the final over and that's a big win for the Renegades camp! Full delivery on the off-stump line, Drew stays deep in his crease to try and go over the leg-side but he's only managed to slice this over point. Looked like he's got enough on it at first but it bounces just outside the 30-yard circle. Just a couple and it's heartbreak for the Renegades. Ecstacy for the Strikers! Melbourne Renegades win by 2 runs.
This is it. 5 needed off the last delivery. 6 for a win, 4 for a Super Over!
19.5 Will Sutherland to Daniel Drew, good length slower delivery outside off. It was in the slot for Drew as he sat back, looked to maul it downtown but he's not got the timing right. Another couple at long-on. 5 off 1.
7 off 2. What must be going on in the mind of young Drew?
19.4 Will Sutherland to Daniel Drew, low full toss angling into Drew, crouches low to drill this through mid-wicket to rush back for the second
Video
;'/></svg>)
M Short
M Nabi
;'/></svg>){kind=small}
Docklands Stadium, Melbourne
Ryan Gibson
James Pattinson
