MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC – West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo starred with the ball but failed miserably with the bat as his Melbourne Renegades suffered a meltdown to crash to a heavy 112-run defeat to Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League here yesterday.
Playing in the highly anticipated Melbourne derby at Docklands Stadium, Stars rattled up 169 for nine off their 20 overs and then humiliated Renegades for 57 in 12.4 overs, to break their three-match losing skid and win their first game of the tournament.
The total was the lowest ever in the BBL.
Sent in, Stars were powered by opener Luke Wright’s top score of 39, Kevin Pietersen’s 25 and Tom Triffitt and Cameron White who both got 22.
Bravo was the leading bowler, picking up three for 22 from his three overs while Windies teammate Andre Russell finished with one for 26 from his two overs.
Bravo made key strikes, removing James Faulkner for seven to a catch at deep mid-wicket by Russell in the 14th over and then deceiving Pietersen with a slower ball in his next over, to have the England batsman caught at cover.
Two balls later in the same over, Bravo prised out the dangerous Glenn Maxwell for ten, caught at square leg by Callum Ferguson, as Stars slipped to 123 for five in the 16th over.
In their turn at the crease, Renegades lost wickets from the outset, slumped to 16 for five in the fifth over and never recovered.
Bravo perished for three and Russell, nine, as seamers Scott Boland (2-10) and Jackson Bird (2-12), along with left-arm spinner Michael Beer (2-14) combined to destroy the innings.
