BBL 5 Match 8 Review: Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Sixers, Lumb and Henriques gun down Renegades

Sydney Sixers won the toss and decided to bowl first against the Renegades team full of batting firepower. Aaron Finch had an off day in the field today as he was dismissed in the third over of the match. Gayle looked comfortable and started well, launching some massive hits. He single-handedly took the Renegades score to over fifty by the end of the 7th over.

However, Henriques and Botha provided important breakthroughs in consecutive overs to put a temporary brake on the run rate. Cameron White (15 runs from 17 balls) looked off colors and played slowly, eventually getting out in the 10th over. Gayle, who was thwacking the bowlers until then, also fell in the next overs to Johan Botha. Abbott made another breakthrough as he removed the struggling Matthew Wade.

But, this string of wickets did not harm the Renegades in any way as Bravo (45 from 29 balls) and Beaton (41 from 23 balls) powered the Renegades to a highly competitive score of 172. Beaton and Bravo were just dispatching the balls for boundaries and sixes. They just continued from where Gayle had left. The duo shared a stand of 78 in just 40 balls to put the Renegades in a very strong position. The Sixers bowlers bowled nicely through the middle overs but lost the track towards the end.

In reply, the Sixers had a shaky start as Brad Haddin and Nic Maddinson lost their wickets early, leaving the Sixers at 21/2 before the end of fourth over. But, these quick wickets only brought Michael Lumb and captain Moises Henriques together. The match from here on belonged to the duo as they smacked 101 runs between them in just 9.3 overs. Lumb was at his destructive best, striking the ball clearly. He brought his fifty with a hat-trick of sixes in the 11th over off Xavier Doherty. However, the partnership was broken by Rimmington just an over later. Lumb made 63 off just 35 balls.

By this time the match was in the Sixers hand. Henriques continued his batting display, but Tremain found a crucial breakthrough in the 15 over. Henriques (62 from 38 balls) was caught by Cooper.

The job looked finished, but Botha departed in the next over whereas Silk and O’Keefe were out in the same over. It seemed that the Sixers had begun to stutter, but Sean Abbott and Trent Lawford did the pending work and finished the chase in the 18th over. All the credit goes to Lumb and Henriques as at one point the Sixers needed 101 off the last ten overs. This sensational chase happens to be the biggest successful chase in the Sixers history.

Brief Scores:

Melbourne Renegades: 172/4 in 20 overs (Gayle 46; Botha 1/13)

Sydney Sixers: 174/7 in 18.5 overs (Lumb 63; Rimmington 4/26)

Man of the Match: Michael Lumb (Sydney Sixers)