Following their fourth straight BBL loss, the Melbourne Renegades’ problems have been made worse by Nic Maddinson’s potential catastrophic knee injury. After a good 3-0 start to the year, Renegades were beaten by Perth Scorchers by five wickets on Sunday at Marvel Stadium, continuing their downward trend.
The Scorchers’ quick AJ Tye took 3 for 32 to limit the hosts after Aaron Finch’s 65 off 48 helped the home team reach 155 for 6 from their 20 overs. But in a disciplined pursuit, Josh Inglis and Cameron Bancroft guided Scorchers to victory.
Despite the efforts of Renegades fast Kane Richardson, Scorchers managed to reach the goal with two balls remaining. The Scorchers’ fourth straight victory solidified their position atop the standings. When Maddinson was out on a first-ball duck, his slump persisted, and he had now allowed only three runs in his previous five innings.
His day took a turn for the worse when, while fielding during the second over of Scorchers’ chase, he twisted his left leg while turning to throw the ball, resulting in a knee injury. The 31-year-old fell to the ground instantly and was examined for a while before being taken off the field.
The exact degree of Maddinson’s injuries is yet unknown to Renegades, who will send him for testing. Peter Handscomb, the wicketkeeper, was unable to complete the game and was replaced after 16 overs due to the impact of the increasing temperature.
Bancroft and import Faf du Plessis provided Scorchers a strong foundation for their pursuit. When Richardson removed Adam Lyth with the final ball of one over and du Plessis with the first ball of the next, he was on a hat-trick, but he was unable to accomplish the feat.
Will Sutherland executed a magnificent runout of Bancroft, but Inglis took over and put his team in position to win. Before Nick Hobson struck the winning run off Sutherland, there was late drama when Inglis attempted to overturn an incorrect lbw ruling but was unsuccessful.
Finch earlier joined Chris Lynn, the BBL’s all-time leading scorer, becoming the second player to surpass 3000 career runs. Tye was the best bowler for the Scorchers, picking up the crucial dismissals of Finch, Handscomb, and Mackenzie Harvey. Additionally, Jason Behrendorff bowled quite well, taking 1 for 17 from four overs.