- Melbourne Stars beat Melbourne Renegades by seven wickets
- Record crowd of 80,883 flocks to MCG as Luke Wright ton gets Stars home
Great scenes here in Melbourne. 80,000+ at the MCG and a fine game to boot.
I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from the bossman. This was a momentous night, but the rise and rise of the BBL is not the same thing as the death of Test cricket. What a sport cricket is.
You know what is actually happening? Millions of Australians are absorbing a game into their nightly summer routine and that game is cricket
Wright needs just one ball, clearing the leg and bunting Gannon over mid-off for a mighty four. Absolute scenes as a pretty outrageous fireworks display begins immediately. Wright finishes 109 not out, Stars win by seven wickets.
19th over: Melbourne Stars 159-3 (Wright 105, Handscomb 13). TARGET 162
Wright gets four to fine leg then a single into the offside and that’s 15 from the over, and the game, you’d think. He’s kept the strike, three required, Gannon to bowl the last. Renegades need a miracle.
Melbourne Stars 154-3. TARGET 162
It’s Rimmington to bowl the penultimate over. Wright tries to scoop him over short fine leg, but doesn’t get it and sends Handscomb, who is halfway down, back - but the Renegades muck up the run out chance. That’s no use. Wright swings mighty hard at the next (he looks seriously tired), and somehow they scamper through for three. There’s a brief delay as a beachball is removed - a slightly rotund (but rapid) steward comes onto the field to take it from the umpire, much to the chagrin of the crowd. Handscomb looks to be pinned in front by Rimmington but the ump says no and they scamper through for a leg bye.
18th over: Melbourne Stars 144-3 (Wright 91, Handscomb 13). TARGET 162
Bravo’s back to bowl his last, and finds a dot ball first up from round the wicket, even when Wright finds himself halfway down the wicket desperate for the strike. Gayle’s not quick enough. They get their single next ball, and then Wright misses with a massive yahoo. He wants this done swifto. There’s another dot next up (Bravo is still going round the wicket), as Wright tries to ramp over short fine leg but gets none of it. He gets on the fifth ball, slicing to the offside for two that takes him into the 90s. A single from the last keeps the strike. What an outstanding over, just four from it.
17th over: Melbourne Stars 140-3 (Wright 88, Handscomb 12). TARGET 162
Gannon’s back to bowl his penultimate over. Three singles to kick things off, all safe enough. Handscomb glides the fourth past the keeper for another, and they think about a second, especially when a misplaced throw comes in, but they settle for one. Wright middles it to deep cover, then Handscomb slices over cover and they take three. Decent enough over, but they need wickets. Eight runs from it. Three overs remain, just 22 runs required.
16th over: Melbourne Stars 132-3 (Wright 85, Handscomb 7). TARGET 162
Bravo swaps ends, and the Renegades are desperate for a wicket again. The first two balls are singles, then Handscomb drives through cover for two, then pulls short of fine leg for one. Luke Wright is just absolutely ticking now, Bravo drops short and he just angles the bat and glides it over the keeper for four. There’s an appeal off the last ball of the over but they scamper through for a single. At the end of the over, the crowd are told that there are 80,883 of them in the house and go suitably bananas.
15th over: Melbourne Stars 122-3 (Wright 80, Handscomb 3). TARGET 162
I was just thinking to myself that Luke Wright was the game now. X-Do’s back and the batsmen trade singles, before Wright goes downtown. Long-on’s under it and diving forward. But oh no! He’s shelled it and, to compound the misery, it’s rolled away for four! Wright makes them pay.... He plays the same shot, but catches it better, and it’s a massive SIX into the member’s. And he’s done it again! SIX more! Slightly wider this time. A sympathy dot finishes the over.
Final #BBL05 crowd at @MCG: 80,883. #congrats
14th over: Melbourne Stars 104-3 (Wright 63, Handscomb 2). TARGET 162
It’s Peter Handscomb, not the wise old head of David Hussey or the finishing excellence of Jimmy Faulkner ambling to the crease. Rimmington returns at the Great Southern Stand End. There are just five singles from a very chilled out over. Breath.
13th over: Melbourne Stars 99-3 (Wright 60). TARGET 162
This is bubbling just beautifully. Lovely stuff. Bravo’s back into the attack, and the Renegades really need a wicket. His first ball is pummelled back past him by Wright for four. Wright tries to do the same next ball, and it’s back at Bravo (very sharply), who shells it! Half-chance, no more. But he’s a freak in the field and Renegades need something to stick. They scamper through for one, and Maxwell takes one himself. Bravo drops short next ball, and Wright just drops back on one leg and pulls for four. The fifth ball is hit even harder, also pulled, but straight to the man at deep midwicket.
12th over: Melbourne Stars 88-2 (Wright 50, Maxwell 21). TARGET 162
Gannon, who bowled an outstanding first over, is back. Maxwell’s ticking now and flicks two through the offside, which the man running round from deep cover cuts off well. There’s a dot, then a single down the ground. Gannon drops short and Wright, with wonderful, clinical control, pulls along the ground in the vacant backward square-leg region for four. Same result next ball, although it’s not pretty - a hoick down the ground evading mid-off, who was up, and a diving long-on. A hit-and-run offside single takes Wright to a well-taken 50 off 34 balls.
11th over: Melbourne Stars 76-2 (Wright 41, Maxwell 18). TARGET 162
X-Do continues and Wright takes a single down the ground. Oh, that is spectacular from Maxwell. He just flicks a six over square-leg’s head. It’s all wrists. A pair of hard-run legside twos follow, before Maxi settles for a single down the ground to end the over.
10th over: Melbourne Stars 64-2 (Wright 40, Maxwell 7). TARGET 162
Tremain on for his final over, and Broad-lite has bowled well. In the first four balls there’s just a legbye, and Maxwell nearly plays on. They trade singles at the end of the over. 98 required off 10.
9th over: Melbourne Stars 61-2 (Wright 39, Maxwell 6). TARGET 162
With KP gone, his one-time nearly-nemesis (read: bunny) X-Do is back into the attack. Wright biffs two, then one to long-on, then they run hard for two into the offside off Maxwell’s bat. Oh, that’s cute, just turned round the corner for two more, hauled in on the fence by the man at fine leg. They trade another single each to end the over, and there are almost some buzzers, but the Renegades clean up. The crowd, for god’s sake, have started a mexican wave. There’s no pleasing them.
8th over: Melbourne Stars 52-2 (Wright 34, Maxwell 1). TARGET 162
Three balls left in the over and there’s a single each for Glenny Maxwell and Wright, before Maxwell knocks it to midwicket for a dot. Outstanding over from Gannon.
Gannon into the attack for the first time. He manages to get two dots at a defending KP, and now he’s got him! KP tried a slightly strange short-arm pull to a short one and just edged through to the keeper. A rather understated departure for the big man. Huge wicket.
7th over: Melbourne Stars 50-1 (Wright 34, Pietersen 6). TARGET 162
Interesting bowling change now the powerplay’s done. Finch has brought himself on. Class from Wright first up, rocking back and just swatting him to the legside fence for a pair, bisecting the two men in the deep. The batsmen take singles two singles each, before Wright fails to swat one to leg and it’s a dot. Not the worst over, but not sure we’ll see Finch again.
6th over: Melbourne Stars 42-1 (Wright 28, Pietersen 4). TARGET 162
As Ricky Ponting says on comms, KP can’t have done much batting over the last week, what with his wife having a kid in London and all. But he’s off to a flyer. Tremain overpitches to the big man and he just leans forward and eases it down the ground, past the outstretched fingers on mid-off and to the fence. Beautiful. He knocks two dots to square leg.
That’s outstanding running to the first ball of the over. Stoinis flicks Tremain behind square on the legside and under barked orders from Wright, gets through for three. Wright gets served a wide that was too high, then spanks a short ball to leg for three more runs. Oh but WHAT A CATCH! Stoinis had a massive swing at a wide one, and Wade dived full stretch to his right to take an outstanding one-handed catch. Game on. KP to the crease, to many cheers and - as per - a few boos.
5th over: Melbourne Stars 31-0 (Wright 25, Stoinis 4). TARGET 162
Bravo into the attack, and there are two more dots to start the over. No runs off the bat for eight legal deliveries. Bravo follows it with a good bouncer that Wright goes to pull and top edges over Wade’s head for four. They all count, as they say. He has a huge yahoo outside off next ball, which Bravo - and Bravo alone - thinks he’s nicked. No dice. Then there’s another two dots, defended firmly to cover, a firm drive stopped by the bowler. Just one scoring shot in the last two overs.
4th over: Melbourne Stars 27-0 (Wright 21, Stoinis 4). TARGET 162
Tremain continues, and starts the over outstandingly, with three dots to Stoinis. He then pokes a single to square leg but Gayle comes round and Wright doesn’t fancy taking him on. Tremain then bowls a wild wide, but recovers and find two more dots to finish an excellent over.
3rd over: Melbourne Stars 26-0 (Wright 21, Stoinis 4). TARGET 162
Rimmington into the attack. Stoinis pulls it away to the man at deep-square, before the bowler follows a wide with a pair of dots to Wright. But that’s better from the British Biffer, a well-timed flick to leg getting him two, then a low pull beating the man at mid-on and going for four! Oh my, that’s even better. Don’t bowl there to Wright. The last of the over is full, straight and flies over mid-on for six of the best. That’s about as orthodox as Wright gets, to be honest.
2nd over: Melbourne Stars 12-0 (Stoinis 3, Wright 9). TARGET 162
People say Chris Tremain’s action is reminiscent of Stuart Broad and I can’t help but agree. It’s the tailing right arm that falls away towards point. He’s on from the Great Southern Stand End, and Wright pushes wide of short fine leg for two first up. After defending into the offside, there’s two more, uppish in front of square on the legside, then another two twos just behind square. That’s four twos in the over, which finishes with an LBW shout that was definitely too high.
1st over: Melbourne Stars 4-0 (Stoinis 3, Wright). TARGET 162
So, X-Do to open the bowling. Stoinis and Wright take a legside single each, before the former drills it hard back at the bowler, who fields well. A couple of the 80,000+ think it’s a catch, but it ain’t. It’s a bump ball. A well run dab to leg follows, then Xavier finds a couple of dots to finish up.
The players are out and we’re just about off... Xavier Doherty to open up for Renegades, with Luke Wright and Marcus Stoinis at the crease for Stars.
Cricket Australia have issued a statement about the problems faced by fans getting into the MCG. When the games started, there were 55k in the ground, now there is well over 80k, which is just extraordinary.
“The Melbourne Cricket Ground has been highly proactive in their security measures for major cricket events this summer. The match tonight experienced an unprecedented record crowd for domestic cricket. We thank fans for their patience and apologise for the delays experienced entering the ground tonight. The safety and security of our fans, players and officials is always our number one priority and rest assured we’ll continue to work with the MCG to ensure everyone has a fantastic experience at any cricket event this summer.”
20th over: Renegades 161-7 (Tremain 1, Gannon 2)
It’s Tremain and Gannon at the crease now and the former gets a single and the latter two to long-on to finish the innings.
Bravo knocks it into the offside and takes two, then is BOWLED by a yorker, taking a massive swing. Oh, and his bat’s gone flying about 30 yards into the legside. Two balls left.
Hastings to bowl the last, and he’s not happy when a wide is given for his bouncer first up to Bravo. Next ball, his miscued pull loops up and nearly hits the pegs but they sprint through for a single. This is Cooper’s first bat in four games this comp, remarkably, and he’s GONE! He tries to pull-ramp-scoop one that isn’t that short and gets a top edge into Faulkner’s hands at fine leg. Four balls left.
19th over: Melbourne Renegades 154-5 (Bravo 4, Cooper 12)
Faulkner’s back, the specialist at the death. There’s a single to Bravo, a wide at Cooper, who then plays an outstanding ramp over fine-leg for six. Then there’s two into the offside, and a miscued slog to fine-leg for one. Bravo drives back at Faulkner, but it slips straight over his hand and lands on the stumps. The crowd goes wild, thinking he’s touched it, but he hasn’t and they take one. A push to leg off the last gets two, well run. One over to go.
18th over: Melbourne Renegades 140-5 (Bravo 2, Cooper 1)
There are a couple of singles then a bit of a shambles on the over’s last ball. Bravo patted the ball back to Hilfenhaus, Cooper set off, was sent back and then when turning, tripped over his own legs. He was lying on the ground, stumbling and Hilf just had to underarm the stumps down from three yards. He misses, Cooper gets up and they get their single. Strange times.
Hilfenhaus squeezes a dot through Beaton, who is hungry for runs. He then wallops it to leg, just past Glenn Maxwell’s fingertips at cow. It goes for four and I’m not sure he picked it up. Anyway, never mind, next ball he goes for the same shot, it goes a bit squarer and Adam Zampa takes a good catch.
17th over: Melbourne Renegades 133-4 (Bravo 1, Beaton 8)
Jeez, way to play yourself in, Tom Beaton. He just blasts Beer straight down the ground for six, which sails over long-on’s head. After he pushes to that man at long-on for one, we have a delay because the umpire is chasing a plastic bag or something similar round the field. It’s sort of funny, or probably not, to be honest. Bravo away with a single into the legside, then Beaton gets one to his favourite friend down at long-on.
Now that has thrown the Renegades off course. Beer continues and after a dot ball, goes for the big thwack to leg. He gets down on one knee but sweeps straight to the man at deep-square... Very good knock though.
After a single from White, Wade tries to be too cute to the over’s final ball and only ends up ramping straight to the keeper. Not a bad time for Dwayne Bravo to come in, mind.
16th over: Melbourne Renegades 123-2 (White 53, Wade 24)
The return of the Duke. Wade nudges into the legside for one, before White tries an outrageous stroke a sort of reverse lap thing that he misses because it’s too wide. And called wide, too. There’s another single, then another wide, then another single, as Wade drills to deep cover. White finishes the over with a crazy-clever ramp over the keeper’s head for four to bring up a fine 53 off 36 balls.
15th over: Melbourne Renegades 114-2 (White 48, Wade 22)
Wade looks hungry for a slog or two here. Beer back for Zampa after that massive White six. They take three singles to start the over, before White is fooled and it’s a dot. OOSH White’s hit the hard, it’s gone for four down to long-on, beating the man and going all the way along the ground. Amazing stroke. And so is that, much cuter, just turned round the corner past the man at third man, who is up. Four more.
14th over: Melbourne Renegades 103-2 (White 39, Wade 20)
We officially have 75,000 people in the MCG. More to come. Hilfenhaus is back and Wade tracks him and sticks it over long-on’s head (just), for six. He’s done by a slower ball, then takes a single to fine leg. White hoicks a four across the line, through midwicket, which is strangely left vacant by David Hussey. Two more singles finish the over.
13th over: Melbourne Renegades 90-2 (White 34, Wade 12)
Zampa continues from the Members’ End. The Renegades are circumspect for a couple of balls, trading single either side of a dot. Then White trots down and thrashes Zampa over cow for his third six. That’s massive. Another pair of singles ends the over.
12th over: Melbourne Renegades 80-2 (White 26, Wade 8)
More Stoinis. Wade miscues a pull just away from the man at square leg and they scamper two. That’s another miscue down to third man, but it falls short and they get one. White defends, then hacks to leg, and takes one, before Wade plays a lovely lofted on drive that beats the man at long on and goes for four. Just a short arm jab really. The last is cut tamely straight to point.
11th over: Melbourne Renegades 72-2 (White 25, Finch 3)
Now it’s Zampa swapping ends. Renegades charge has been neatly stymied by the Stars, who have rotated their attack well. Much, much better over from Zampa, four singles from it.
70,000 at the 'G' for the #BigBash ... 53,000 at the first day versus the West Indies...!!!! Test Cricket needs to act fast ....
10th over: Melbourne Renegades 68-2 (white 23, Wade 1)
That’s a terrific first over from Stoinis, who I didn’t fancy to bowl too much tonight. After the wicket of Finch, Renegades have two former Stars men at the crease as Wade joins White. They get a single each, with Wade off the mark with a knock into the offside.
Stoinis is into the attack and after a White single, he’s got Finch! It’s outside off and he tries to hoick to leg, but skies and is caught at point. Massive wicket.
9th over: Melbourne Renegades 65-1 (Finch 36, White 21)
Beer’s back, and things calm down. Finch goes over the infield for two, then Beer finds three dots and a single and the over costs just three.
@willis_macp How much is a ticket? The crowd is mighty impressive, but I bet they're not paying British prices (on the gate anyway).
8th over: Melbourne Renegades 61-1 (Finch 33, White 20)
Time for a bit of legspin, as Adam Zampa comes into the attack. White and Finch trade singles to start things off, then, after a dot, White gets bored and hits a pair of massive sixes down the ground. Huge. A scampered two ends the over, and the Renegades are on the move. 36 from the last two overs.
Excluding World Cup, this 70k+ crowd is higher than past 23 ODIs/T20Is for Aus at @MCG. Threatening 84,041, T20I vs India in Feb 2008 #BBL05
7th over: Melbourne Renegades 45-1 (Finch 32, White 5)
Hilfenhaus has swapped ends. White gets a single to point, then Finch drives handsomely down the ground and gets two as mid-off, who is up, deflects it into the path of long-on. Three dots follow but he ends the over by slapping it over deep midwicket for six. That was a lovely shot, with his back leg off the ground.
Scratch that, we're up to 70,000 and counting! https://t.co/D7W46tih1o
6th over: Melbourne Renegades 36-1 (Finch 24, White 4)
Every time I look up at the crowd it feels like there are 5,000 more in the MCG. I tell thee, there aren’t many spare seats. The lads on Channel Ten reckon we have 70,000 in already, which is outrageous. The Duke Hastings continues, and the Renegades are picking off singles in the unguarded square leg region, until Finchy (bloody good rep) gets on the back foot and turns a pull past short fine for four. The last ball goes finer, but with the same result: four for Finch. Powerplay over, 36 for one.
Panorama of the @MCG 20 mins into #BBL05 derby: just broken 70k. And still more to come outside. pic.twitter.com/vt5RLAowxh
5th over: Melbourne Renegades 25-1 (Finch 15, White 3)
Michael Beer into the attack from the Members’ End. He starts with a couple of dots to Finch, who then punishes him for overpitching by clearing the leg and bashing it through the covers for four. A single to short fine leg follows, then White reverse sweeps for one, too. A dot ends the over and there’s four from it.
4th over: Melbourne Renegades 19-1 (Finch 10, White 2)
Cracking first over from Hastings, that. The big wicket of Gayle and just two runs - a flick to leg from White - against his name. Good start from the Stars.
Hastings into the attack and another dot to Gayle leads to him trying to take a huge swiped pull at a ball not short enough and miscuing to Pietersen at mid-on. Massive wicket, although Gayle did look out of sorts. Big boos for former Stars man Cameron White as he comes to the crease...
3rd over: Melbourne Renegades 17-0 (Finch 10, Gayle 4)
Faulkner continues. He starts with a full toss that Gayle fails to put away, then there’s a quick - or as quick as Gayle bothers with - single into the offside. Faulkner again bowls a wide down the legside and Finch again hoicks to leg for a couple. They finish the over by trading a single more each.
2nd over: Melbourne Renegades 11-0 (Finch 7, Gayle 2)
It’s big Benny Hilfenhaus from the other end. For no real reason, I have a lot of love for Hilfenhaus. He starts with a yorker, which is dug out by Gayle for a single. A legside hoick gives Finch two, then he takes a single. Gayle defends a couple of dots, then pulls a short ball to fine leg for one to pinch the strike.
1st over: Melbourne Renegades 6-0 (Finch 4, Gayle 0)
After one of the BBL’s favourite institutions, the fan count down to the first ball, Faulkner starts by going round the wicket to Finch. The first is left, the second driven meekly to cover and the third middled back to the bowler, whose stop probably prevents four. Faulkner has a chat with his frenemy KP, who is stood at mid-off, then serves up a pair of legside wides. Silly James. Finch then slogs a length ball from outside off over Pietersen’s head for four, before Faulkner finishes with a pair of dots.
The players are out. First over coming up, to be bowled by James Faulkner. As per usual, Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle opening up for the Renegades. I’m actually rather excited. Don’t forget to fling me your emails and fire me your tweets.
We are about six minutes away from getting under way. The MCG, I have to say, looks a blooming picture. The crowd is already pretty whopping, and they’re still streaming in.
Very big (for #BBL05) crowd at @MCG 15 mins before start of derby - and a heap still stuck outside due to THAT fence pic.twitter.com/GwQsMW4gZG
Earlier on, Stars played Renegades in the Women’s Big Bash League. After a pretty disastrous start, which saw skipper Meg Lanning fall in the second over of the match as the Stars lost their first four wickets for eight runs, as well as 2,000 fans trapped outside because the MCG chose to only open one general admission gate, it was a resounding success. By the end of play, when Renegades crept home with a ball to spare chasing just 86, there were 12,901 people in the ground, which is just swell. Much fun was had by all in a low-scoring bum-squeaker of a game.
This fella also introduced himself to the world. Yes, that literally is a small boy eating a watermelon whole. He’s the sort of chap the internet enjoys, for one reason or another.
The WBBL has the best fans. #watermelonboy#WBBL01pic.twitter.com/PCKUDBguD9
We have some team and toss news.
David Hussey of the Stars won the toss, and invited the Renegades to bat first. The Renegades batted first in their last game and were beaten by the Scorchers by 10 wickets. Probably means nothing, may mean something.
We've won the toss and are bowling first in the #BBL05 Melbourne Derby. Final team below, Hasto and KP in. #GoStarspic.twitter.com/7LLlbxEHzz
Just the one change to the lineup - Doherty comes in for Hauritz #getonred#BBL05pic.twitter.com/te4bfIbDSY
Hello! Welcome to the first (by about an hour) Guardian over-by-over of 2016. Happy new year. I hope you and yours enjoyed wonderful holiday seasons.
So, that cricket, then. It’s the Melbourne derby, that famous, long-standing institution between the historic domestic behemoths and cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades. Ok, maybe not - I own underpants with older than either of these teams/clubs/franchises/whatevers. But it should be a belter, with plenty of quality talent on either side - your Gayles, your Pietersen, your Maxwell, your Finches - and crucially, both teams needing wins, having lost two of their first three fixtures. We should have a bumper crowd here at the MCG, too. There was talk earlier in the week that it could maybe even smash the competition record, which is 52,633 at Adelaide Oval for last January’s semi-final between the Strikers and Sydney Sixers. There are whispers that 60,000 could show up, which would be mega.
Will is going to be dropping by shortly to take you through all of tonight’s live action but in the meantime, you can check out what went right for the Hurricanes in their 11-run win over the Thunder or perhaps check out Russell Jackson’s look at the first West Indies tourists of 1930-31.
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