BBL 07: Tom Cooper, Cameron White fifties help Melbourne Renegades for easy win over Brisbane Heat

Top-order batsman and senior campaigner Cameron White alongside Top Cooper’s fifties has handed the convincing win for the hosts Melbourne Renegades by seven wickets and eight balls to spare over Brendon McCullum-led Brisbane Heat at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday (December 23) evening.

Men in Red chased down the target in 18.4 overs, as Cooper remained unbeaten on 52 off 44 deliveries and White smashed 51 off 42 balls.

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Interestingly, the two consecutive sixes from Cooper on the bowling of Steketee saw Renegades home comfortably.

White-Cooper added crucial 89 runs for the third wicket to set the game for Renegades which frustrated the Heat’s bowlers.

The right-handed middle-order batsman Brad Hodge scored nine off four balls.

Prominent batter White was dismissed by Ben Cutting after Mark Steketee claimed a skier when Renegades’ score was 118 in 17 overs. His innings included four boundaries and two sixes.

Earlier, coming to chase down the target of 133, Renegades lost both openers at the score of 29 in 4.3, as leg-spinner Shadad Khan bagged both wickets while conceding 17 runs in his quota of four overs.

McCullum used seven bowlers and only two were among the wickets column.

Earlier, Brisbane Heat didn’t have a good start when three batsmen including openers in the form of McCullum and Jimmy Pierson returned to the pavilion at the score of 28 in 5.2 overs.

The right-handed batting star McCullum was the first causality when he was bowled by Tom Cooper on five of six deliveries.

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The wicket-keeper batsman Jimmy Pierson was cleaned up by the 24-year-old Jack Wildermuth.

The left-handed batsman Sam Heazlett was caught by Finch on the bowling of Wildermuth.

The 22-year-old Heazlett scored run-a-ball 11.

Alex Ross was the top scorer for the visiting side Heat, as he scored 48 off 44 balls. He smashed three boundaries and a maximum and on the other side, the wickets kept falling at regular intervals.

Marnus Labuschagne scored 19-ball 20 and Ben Cutting hammered two sixes to score 13-ball 18, as the latter was caught by Kane Richardson on the bowling of Hogg,

Youngest to join the BBL leg, Shadab Khan was dismissed on the very first ball when Finch completed the easy catch on the bowling of senior campaigner Brad Hogg.

Josh Lalor was dismissed on 10 off nine deliveries after being caught by Cameron White on the bowling of another day star Dwayne Bravo.

Mark Steketee remained not out on four and Brendan Doggett faced three balls for a single.

Heat posted the modest total of 132 for eight in 20 overs as Wildermuth shone on the day with three wickets.

Hogg alongside Bravo picked two wickets each and Cooper settled with a solitary wicket of dangerous McCullum.