West Indies spinner takes 3-15 on BBL debut to dent Heat’s chase

AAP15-Dec-2022

Nic Maddinson hit his T20-best of 87•Getty Images

Melbourne Renegades captain Nic Maddinson plundered a scintillating 87 against Brisbane Heat to set up a 22-run victory in his 100th BBL game.Maddinson got out of the blocks quickly, kept his cool when four wickets fell in a clump, and put his foot down again late to lift the Renegades to 7 for 166 batting first in Cairns after being sent in.West Indies international Akeal Hosein opened the bowling for Renegades with his left-arm spin and dismissed opener Max Bryant for a duck with his fifth delivery. The momentum stayed with Renegades from then on.Hossein was playing his first game in the BBL and was the dominant bowler on the night to give Renegades a great start to the new campaign after finishing bottom of the ladder last season.Heat recruit Colin Munro (35 off 30 balls), with 65 T20 internationals to his credit for New Zealand, was finding top form with the bat before he was run out by a direct hit from Tom Rogers.When Heat skipper Jimmy Peirson was bowled by Hossein for 43 off 30 deliveries in the 15th over the required rate was nearing the unachievable.Maddinson earlier set the platform for victory. He took 20 off Xavier Bartlett’s second over and a further 22 off his third in a 49-ball innings, including 10 fours and three sixes, that produced his highest score in T20 cricket. Andre Russell (35 off 28 balls) celebrated his return to Renegades with a powerhouse innings including three sixes.The visitors rocketed to 0 for 65 off six overs before Sam Harper was well caught at fine leg by Josh Brown off the first delivery bowled by the impressive James Bazley.Renegades lost 4 for 13 in four overs due to some shrewd captaincy by Peirson and smart bowling by spinners Mitch Swepson and Matt Kuhnemann. Swepson knocked over Jake Fraser-McGurk with a classic googly. Then Kuhnemann took two wickets in one over by slowing down his pace and bamboozling Aaron Finch and off-season recruit Jono Wells.That was when Maddinson and Russell took control in a 78-run stand off 46 deliveries. Maddinson, when on 42, was involved in a bizarre incident when he played a pull-shot off Mark Steketee.The ball lobbed over the stumps but one bail came off. On review it was clear that the dislodged bail was an unexplainable mystery but no fault of the batter.