Maxwell Smashes Renegades to Keep Stars’ Season Alive

Maxwell Smashes Renegades to Keep Stars’ Season Alive

His match-turning rescue act showed glimpses of the knock against Afghanistan and stunned Renegades. Melbourne Stars 165 (Maxwell 90, Duckett 21, O’Neill 2-16, Zampa 2-23) beat Melbourne Renegades 123 (Seifert 26, Steketee 5-17, Paris 3-13) by 42 runs

Glenn Maxwell played an incredible innings, hitting ten sixes in a brilliant 90 runs off 52 balls. He carried the Stars to victory in the Melbourne derby against the Renegades, keeping their BBL season alive.

The Stars’ chances looked slim when they were 75 for 7 after being sent to bat under a closed roof at Marvel Stadium. Stormy weather forced the roof shut, but Maxwell’s amazing performance turned the game around. The Stars reached 165 runs, and the Renegades couldn’t chase the target, leaving the crowd of 38,000 disappointed.

After losing their first five games, the Stars have now won four in a row, keeping their finals hopes alive. For the Renegades, who now have a 3-5 record, this loss hurt their chances.

Maxwell Saves the Day

The Stars’ season looked over as their top batters struggled. Ben Duckett, who had a mixed season, scored 21 off 14 balls before getting out. Marcus Stoinis hit a huge shot that almost hit the roof, but he was caught soon after. Even tennis star Novak Djokovic, watching from the stands, looked shocked as the Stars kept losing wickets.

Then came Maxwell. Known for pulling off miracles, he stepped up again. He smashed sixes left and right, hitting a personal T20 record of 10 sixes. One of his shots flew 122 meters over the boundary! Maxwell also used clever switch-hits and targeted bowlers like Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson.

Maxwell Smashes Renegades to Keep Stars’ Season Alive
Glenn Maxwell hit ten sixes in his 52-ball 90

In a rare move for T20 cricket, Maxwell refused singles to keep the strike. This strategy worked perfectly as he and Usama Mir set a BBL record for the eighth-wicket partnership, adding 81 runs. Mir only faced five balls but held his ground while Maxwell did the heavy lifting.
Maxwell deserved a century, but he got out in the final over, ending one of the most unforgettable innings in BBL history.

Renegades Start Strong but Fall to Maxwell

The Renegades started well. On the first ball of the game, Tom Rogers dismissed Sam Harper lbw. Fergus O’Neill, playing his first game back, took two key wickets, including Duckett, and nearly got a hat-trick. His clever bowling gave him figures of 2-16 from four overs.

But once Maxwell started his fireworks, the Renegades’ bowlers couldn’t stop him. Maxwell’s strategy of refusing singles rattled them, and their young captain, Will Sutherland, struggled to adjust his field.

To make things worse, Kane Richardson injured his hamstring and couldn’t finish the final over.

Steketee Shines for the Stars

Mark Steketee had a rough start with some wayward bowling, but he quickly turned things around. He dismissed Marcus Harris and Josh Brown in the second over. Later, he took the key wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Steketee finished with outstanding figures of 5 for 17, while Joel Paris also chipped in by breaking through the Renegades’ middle order.

Renegades Fall Short Again

The Renegades’ batting let them down. Fraser-McGurk, who has struggled this season, scored just 19 off 17 balls before getting out. At 44 for 4, the Renegades were in trouble.

Sutherland, who led a great chase in their last game, couldn’t repeat his heroics. He was bowled by Peter Siddle in the 13th over, ending their hopes.

Young Harry Dixon, playing his first BBL game, showed promise with some stylish shots. But he was caught on 13, with Maxwell taking the final catch to cap off his brilliant night.

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