Perth Scorchers maintain unbeaten run with eight-wicket win over Renegades

Jason Behrendorff starred with the ball, taking 2 for 19 to help restrict the Renegades to 151 for 8, before Mitchell Marsh (42 not out) and Colin Munro (58 not out) saw the Scorchers home with 19 balls to spare

Melbourne: Melbourne Renegades 151-8, Perth Scorchers 152-2 – Perth Scorchers won by eight wickets

Perth Scorchers maintained their unbeaten start to BBL11 with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades.

Jason Behrendorff was the pick of Perth’s bowlers, taking 2 for 19 from his four overs to help restrict the Renegades to 151 for 8. A 99-run third-wicket stand between Mitchell Marsh and Colin Munro then saw the Scorchers home with 19 balls to spare.

After winning their opening six matches, the 2020-21 finalists are top of the table with a four-point cushion over Sydney Sixers.

Batting first, the Renegades lost Aaron Finch (12) inside the powerplay before a 56-run stand between Mackenzie Harvey and Sam Harper brought them back into the match.

However, when Harper was removed by Cameron Bancroft (bowled Ashton Agar) for 32 (25) in the ninth over, it started a collapse which saw six wickets fall for just 37 runs and the Melbourne side slip from 68 for 1 to 105 for 7.

^{Jason Behrendorff took 2 for 19 from his four overs [Paul Kane/Getty Images]}

James Pattinson and Jack Prestwidge put on 24 runs in 13 balls for the eighth wicket before the former was removed for 16 (eight balls) in the penultimate over. Prestwidge, who finished unbeaten on 22 from 11, and Reece Topley then added 22 of the final nine deliveries to push their side beyond the 150-mark.

Behrendorff, Agar and Tymal Mills picked up two wickets apiece while Marsh took 1 for 18 from his three overs.

In reply, Bancroft and Josh Inglis shared a 49-run first-wicket stand before both fell in the space of six balls to reduce the Scorchers to 53 for 2 after 6.4 overs.

Bancroft’s dismissal brought Munro to the middle to join no.3 Marsh and together they rattled off the required 99 runs in just 61 balls. Munro finished unbeaten on 58 from 32 balls while Marsh, the player of the match, scored 42 off 33.

Nic Maddinson (1 for 5) and Zahir Khan (1 for 30) were the wicket-takers for the Renegades while Pattinson, Topley and Sutherland took a bit of a beating – their combined nine overs yielded 90 runs (seven fours and six sixes).

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