Melbourne Renegades skipper Nic Maddinson, who hit three out of the 14 sixes hit in BBL 12 Match 8, hit the longest of them all in the eighth over. Having barely survived on the previous delivery, Maddinson hit Thunder spinner Chris Green for a 101-meter six. An archetype slog by the left-handed batter saw him sitting down on one knee before thwacking the off-spinner through the mid-wicket region for a monstrous shot.
The 30-year-old player was his team’s second-best batter on a Sunday night on the back of scoring 39 (28) at a strike rate of 139.28. Having faced a lone delivery in the first two overs, Maddinson hit Sandhu for a towering six on the first delivery of the third over as both he and Jake Fraser-McGurk (24) collected a total of 22 runs from Sandhu’s second over.
Watch the video here:
LARGE! A 101-metre maximum flies off Nic Maddinson's bat into the nosebleeds at Marvel Stadium! @BKTtires | #GoldenMoment |#BBL12 pic.twitter.com/oyfObzh6C6
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2022
Having kick-started their BBL 2022-23 campaign with a couple of victories, Melbourne see themselves at the second position on the points table in a rare event. Those who have followed Renegades in the last three seasons, realize the importance of a praiseworthy start for them.
Aaron Finch’s match-winning knock
Renegades claimed a four-wicket victory over the Sydney Thunder after Aaron Finch steered them to their 175-run target with a vintage half-century. Renegades looked in control for much of the chase but it took an assured finish from Finch for them to reach 175 and claim the win at Marvel Stadium.
The hosts needed 11 runs off the final over, but Thunder’s hopes were boosted when pace bowler Gurinder Sandhu had Akeal Hosein caught from a skied slog. Renegades still needed 10 runs off four balls when Finch (71 off 43 balls) took strike, but he plundered a six and then kept his cool with two runs from each of the next two deliveries to finish the job with a ball to spare.
Finch helped set up the highest successful chase so far in BBL 12 alongside Renegades captain Maddinson (39 off 28), while Jake Fraser-McGurk (24 off 18) also impressed early on.
