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McSweeney and Renshaw shine as the Heat edge the Strikers in a thriller
Zac Sharpe • December 23rd, 2024 11:38 am
The Brisbane Heat have claimed their second win of the season after defeating the Adelaide Strikers by three wickets in a nail biting finish on Sunday night.
The Heat entered the final over needing five runs to win, yet made their life more difficult when Xavier Bartleett was dismissed for just three runs on the second ball of the over.
However, thanks to a full toss outside off from Liam Scott to Mitchell Swepson, who was able to toe end it over point for a singular run off the final ball, allowed the Heat to surge back to the top of the ladder after two games.
Nathan McSweeney and Matthew Renshaw were the stars of the show for the reigning champs, as their half centuries helped guide the Heat home and give the Strikers their second loss from their first three games of the season.
McSweeney’s unbeaten total of 78 not out was the perfect response from the 25-year-old, after he was dropped from the Australian Test squad ahead of the Boxing Day test against India.
Renshaw didn’t do his campaign to get back into the selection frame any disservice either, as he contributed heavily to the Heat run chase with 54 runs off the 27 balls he faced.
Will Prestwidge stood tall in the absence of Spencer Johnson from the bowling side of things, with the 22-year-old recording figures of 2-16 from his two overs.
Despite the loss, the batting efforts of Jamie Overton (45) and bowling efforts of Lloyd Pope (2-17) couldn’t go unnoticed from the result, as they tried their very best to give the Strikers their second win of the season.
The Strikers will now look to bounce back from this defeat, when they host the Hobart Hurricanes on Friday night.
As for the reigning champs, they’ll look to continue their unbeaten start to the BBL|14 season, when they face the Perth Scorchers away from home on Thursday night.
