Big Bash Daily: Morne Morkel unleashed as X Factor substitute as Renegades lose again

Morkel made his debut for Brisbane Heat, while a quickfire cameo from Joe Burns took his side to victory over Aaron Finch's Melbourne Renegades

Finch at four

By any standard, Aaron Finch is woefully out of form, certainly well below his own lofty best. In nine Big Bash games this season, he has failed to pass 39; this was the sixth time in that period he had been dismissed without reaching 20.

But given his reputation as a star of the global circuit, shifting him down the order to No.4 – the first time he had batted so low in a T20 game since 2018 – seemed an unnecessary, counterintuitive move.

And as it happened, the sceptics were well-founded in their concern. Shaun Marsh, returning to the side after injury, slotted in at the top of the order alongside youngster Mackenzie Harvey but fell to the first ball he faced, with wicketkeeper Sam Harper at No.3.

And then came Finch, arriving at the crease in the fifth over and missing out on the batting powerplay as a result.

Perhaps, the thinking was linked to the absence of Mohammad Nabi, who has linked up with his Afghan teammates for their series against Ireland.

As it happened, middle order security was instead provided by Beau Webster and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Finch’s run-a-ball 13 was a short footnote in the innings’ overall context but another sign of Renegades’ struggles.

^{Morne Morkel made his Brisbane Heat debut}

A strange new world for Morne Morkel 

For Morne Morkel, this will go down as one of the stranger days of his career. Finally fit after an ankle injury, the great South African fast bowler made his Brisbane Heat debut as an X Factor replacement, while representing Chris Lynn’s side as a local player on account of his Australian residency.

He was subbed in at the expense of Xavier Bartlett, who could perhaps count himself unfortunate, having conceded just two runs in his only over.

However, the results were inarguable: Morkel, a bona fide great of the game, took responsibility for a power surge over and two more at the death, completing overall figures of 1 for 29 from his four overs – not a bad start for the 36-year-old, whose experience will only assist a pace-heavy Brisbane attack.

Overseas allrounder Lewis Gregory wasn’t even required with the ball; instead, Bartlett, Morkel, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee and James Bazley shared 15 overs of seam bowling. Joe Denly and Matt Kuhnemann bowled five overs of economical spin.

^{Aaron Finch has endured a torrid BBL season}

Renegades rooted

A dismal season shows few signs of getting better for Melbourne Renegades, who thought they might have turned a corner by beating Adelaide Strikers in their previous game.

However, the muddled thinking around Finch, coupled with the loss of Nabi, left them short once again, even with the return of Marsh, the third-highest run-scorer in the competition’s history. Ironically, the only two players ahead of him on that list – Finch and Lynn – were both also in action.

But since winning this tournament two seasons ago, the red half of Melbourne has mostly experienced painful disappointment; they have won five of 24 games in the time since. A rethink is needed.