Duckett's 67 sets up Stars' thrilling win
Ben Duckett's 67 set up Melbourne Stars' five-wicket victory over Melbourne Renegades in the derby at the MCG. Duckett's half-century helped Stars chase down 169, despite losing two wickets early in their innings.
Renegades made a slow start, losing Josh Brown in the first over. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tim Seifert also departed early, leaving Renegades at 3/21. Jacob Bethell and Jonathan Wells revived the innings with a 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, both bethell and Wells were dismissed in quick succession, leaving Renegades at 142/5 in the 17th over. Laurie Evans' late cameo helped Renegades post 168/7.
Stars lost two wickets in the second over, leaving them at 2/11. Duckett took the onus upon himself, scoring 67 off 47 balls to lead Stars' revival. Marcus Stoinis also played a crucial knock of 48 off 24 balls.
Renegades fought back by delivering two tight overs, pushing the asking rate. When Stars opted for the surge, they lost both Duckett and Stoinis off successive overs. However, Cartwright's six off the final ball of the surge and Maxwell's reverse hit in the penultimate over helped Stars seal the deal.
Brief scores:
- Melbourne Renegades: 168/7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 49, Jonathan Wells 45; Joel Paris 2/23)
- Melbourne Stars: 171/5 in 19.4 overs (Ben Duckett 67, Marcus Stoinis 48; Gurinder Sandhu 3/29)