An impressive batting display from Melbourne Renegades captain, Aaron Finch and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, guided Renegades to victory over Melbourne Stars in the Melbourne Derby match in 2017/2018 KFC Big Bash League.
Melbourne Stars sat in the driver’s seat after their first 10 overs as they pushed the scoreboard along to 1/82 with Ben Dunk (47 off 30) and Kevin Pietersen (40 off 30) combining for a 71-runs partnership.
Nabi broke the crucial partnership when he got the prized wicket of Pietersen, after-which the Stars struggled to get momentum in their innings. Glenn Maxwell (33 off 23) and Marcus Stoinis (24 n.o off 24) stayed till the end of the innings with Stars finishing with 157/4 in their 20 overs, clearly 20-25 runs short.
Renegades lost Marcus Harris early but Finch (43 off 22) in the company of Cameron White, took the score to 72 in the 8th over when Finch got bowled by Adam Zampa.
Nabi came and changed the landscape of the chase as he smashed 52 off 30 deliveries with 2 sixes and as many boundaries. Although, he would be disappointed in not finishing the match as he got out to Stars captain John Hastings. Hastings removed Brad Hodge quickly as well but White (35 n.o off 37) stayed firm at one end and Dwayne Bravo finished the proceedings with a six as Renegades reached 159/4 in 17.5 overs to win the match by 6 wickets.
Fans and teammates alike pay their respects to Mohammad Nabi after reaching fifty. #BBL07 pic.twitter.com/mCMInB59MP
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 6, 2018
Nabi deservedly won the Man of the Match award for his match winning knock. A great testament of giving players from emerging nations an opportunity to play alongside seasoned professionals in one of the top T20 leagues around the globe.
