Cameron Bancroft and Aaron Hardie have cracked quick-fire half-centuries to power the Perth Scorchers to a seven-wicket BBL win over the Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium.
In reply to the Heat’s 9-171 on Saturday night, the Scorchers reached the victory target with 21 balls to spare, courtesy of big knocks from Bancroft (76no off 48 balls) and Hardie (57 off 33 balls).
Bancroft was playing just his third BBL clash of the season after being squeezed out of the side by Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth for much of the campaign.
But with du Plessis now having joined the South African T20 league and Lyth dropped following a horror run of form, Bancroft looms as a key player in the Scorchers’ bid to win back-to-back titles.
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Bancroft cracked seven fours and two sixes, combining with Hardie for a 111-run stand that set up the win. Hardie was brutal with five fours and three sixes before being run out in the 12th over.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
The result lifted the Scorchers (6-2) back to the top, with the Heat seventh after posting just two wins from their first eight games.
“It was a lot of fun really,” Bancroft told Fox Cricket after his man-of-the-match performance.
“In chases like that you always want to try to start well and see if you can get the run rate down as soon as possible. That partnership set ourselves up.”
The Heat made a dream start to the match thanks to their departing import Colin Munro. Munro, who will link up with the new UAE T20 league next week, blasted three fours and three sixes on the way to posting 45 off 26 balls.
The New Zealand blaster combined with Josh Brown (34 off 21 balls) to lift the Heat to 0-81 by midway through the eighth over. But the Scorchers’ attack hit back strongly, with AJ Tye (3-37), Matt Kelly (2-28), and Lance Morris (2-4) sparking a collapse of 9-90.
The Heat only scored 25 from their final four overs, losing three wickets in the last over as their search for quick runs at the death fell flat.
Morris was pummelled for 16 off his first over, but the speed demon bounced back with the scalps of Munro and Jimmy Peirson (23 off 19 balls).
The return of Morris from Test squad duties helped offset the loss of Jhye Richardson, who is set to miss two to three weeks with a hamstring injury.
The Scorchers have been hit hard by injury and withdrawals this season, losing the likes of Mitch Marsh, Cam Green, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills and Phil Salt for the entire tournament.
“It blows my mind as well,” Bancroft said of the team’s ability to keep winning despite the setbacks.
Harper hits out as Renegades down Hurricanes
Sam Harper has made a stunning return to form with a career-best innings to lead the Melbourne Renegades to a six-wicket BBL win over the Hobart Hurricanes.
Harper had struggled in five previous digs this season, averaging 5.4 with three ducks to his name.
His latest effort got off to an inauspicious start when his indecision led to returning Test squad member Marcus Harris being run out.
But the diminutive wicketkeeper quickly refocused and settled into a groove at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, blasting 89 off 48 deliveries.
The brilliant innings included seven sixes before Harper was eventually out caught by Tim David off Nathan Ellis (1-13).
“It can get you a little bit mentally when you keep missing out but all you can do is keep working hard and hopefully the results can come, so it was nice to get a few (runs) tonight,” Harper said. “I feel like I’ve been batting reasonably well all year, right from the start of the Shield season and even in the nets.
“I just a couple of times tried to hit one of my first or second balls for six, which was a bit silly. I just gave myself a few extra balls tonight and maybe I should do that a bit more often.”
Jon Wells (22 not out) and Will Sutherland (4 no) guided the Renegades home as they reached 4-164 in reply to the Hurricanes’ 8-162 with 11 balls to spare.
The result lifted the Renegades (5-4) into the top half of the ladder as they chase a finals berth after three consecutive wooden spoons, while the Hurricanes (3-5) are slipping further away.
Harper was given a lifeline on 59 through Riley Meredith’s dropped catch – the Hurricanes’ 15th in eight matches.
The visitors were made to pay as the Renegades took the power surge at the start of the next over, in which Harper whacked 26 runs off Joel Paris.
“We’ve got to take our chances, it’s as simple as that,” Hurricanes batter Ben McDermott said. “We had Harper there and he ended up going on to win them the game. It’s disappointing and it doesn’t need to be said – we just need to take catches.”
Caleb Jewell (28 off 17) and fellow opener McDermott (28 off 23) threatened to post big scores after the Hurricanes were sent in to bat, but couldn’t cash in on their starts.
Kane Richardson (2-20) and Tom Rogers (2-40) led the Renegades’ fightback with the ball and the latter was also damaging in the field.
A five-wicket hero in his previous match, Rogers ran out danger men Matthew Wade and Tim David with direct hits.
The Hurricanes suffered a pre-match blow when they lost left-arm spinner Patrick Dooley to a finger injury during the warm-up.
Dooley – the Hurricanes’ leading wicket-taker and most economical bowler this season – suffered a cut on his left pinky finger in fielding practice and had it bandaged, meaning he was unable to bowl.
Yadav destroys Sri Lanka with ton
Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten century has guided India to a 91-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final Twenty20 international in Rajkot as the hosts clinched the series 2-1.
Yadav made 112 not out, hitting seven fours and nine sixes in his 51-ball display on Saturday as India set Sri Lanka a target of 229 after electing to bat first.
Yadav hammered his third T20 hundred off just 45 balls, showing just why he’s the world’s top-ranked men’s batter in the format.
In response, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 137 as Arshdeep Singh bagged three wickets, while Hardik Pandya, Umran Malik and Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets each.
The victory came after India won the first T20 by two runs, while the second game was won by Sri Lanka by 16 runs.
Opting to bat, India lost Ishan Kishan in the first over then Rahul Tripathi scored 35 off 16 balls to give the innings momentum. Shubman Gill added 46 off 36 balls.
But the impetus changed when Yadav came to the crease. He smacked seven fours and nine sixes to demolish the Lankan bowling attack.
His race to three figures made it the second quickest ton for India after Rohit Sharma (35 balls) in 2017, also against Sri Lanka.
In all, Yadav added 111 runs off 53 balls with Gill for the third wicket.
Gill was dismissed in the 15th over while India also lost captain Hardik Pandya (4) and Deepak Hooda (4).
But it didn’t matter as Yadav blew the total past 200 in 18 overs.
He became the first non-opening batsman to score three T20 hundreds, the others having come against England and New Zealand last year.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
“I put pressure on myself during practice to perform in the games,” Yadav said.
“I tried targeting the shorter boundaries. The coach (Rahul Dravid) lets me enjoy myself, and tells me to express myself.”
Axar Patel smacked 21 not out off nine balls to seal the rampage.
Sri Lanka’s reply made a speedy start as Kusal Mendis (23) and Pathum Nissanka (15) adding 44 off 29 balls.
But Patel got the breakthrough to dismiss Mendis and Sri Lanka then lost wickets at regular intervals.
Captain Dasun Shanaka scored 23 off 17, including two sixes, and Dhananjaya de Silva made 22 off 14 balls, but six batsmen failed to hit double digits.
Arshdeep overcame his no-ball issues from the previous game and produced 3-20 from 16 balls.
The teams begin a three-match one-day international series on Tuesday in Guwahati.