Melbourne Renegades opened their account with a 22-run victory against Brisbane Heat in the third match of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23 at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns on Thursday.
Renegades skipper Nic Maddinson was the star of the night as he scored a brilliant knock that helped the Men in Red post 166/7 on the board in 20 overs. In reply, the Heat could only manage to reach 144/6, falling 22 runs short of the Renegades’ total.
Batting all-rounder Ross Whiteley did bring his team close, but he couldn’t get enough support from other batters. Whitley stayed unbeaten at 28 from 18 deliveries. During his short but explosive stay in the middle, Whiteley smashed Andre Russell to a monstrous six that sailed on the roof.
It all happened on the final ball of the 18th over when Russell went for a full and quick delivery, but Whiteley got underneath it nicely and slammed it over long-on for a humungous six as the white leather landed on the roof of Cazaly’s Stadium.
Here is the video:
How many Kookaburras have the Heat lost tonight?
Ross Whiteley's put another one on the roof! 🙌 #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/LPkoWZpLuR
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 15, 2022
Maddinson was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ for his remarkable performance with the bat. The left-handed batter smashed 87 off just 49 deliveries, with the help of 10 fours and three sixes.
“Pretty proud of it. Started slowly, but tried to shift gears, later on, tried to pick the tempo. Something that I have struggled with earlier, trying to hit too hard early on. It was not about power hitting, it was hitting good shots and finding the gaps. Tried to keep my shape. A hundred would have been nice with a couple of overs remaining, but nice to get a win nevertheless,” said Maddinson after the match.
