MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC – West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein made an instant impact, snatching two wickets in a stingy spell as Melbourne Renegades won only their second game in nine outings with a six-wicket victory over local rivals Melbourne Stars here yesterday.
The 30-year-old, brought in for Renegades’ final two games of their underwhelming Big Bash League campaign, finished with two for 18 from four overs after being handed the new ball, helping to restrict Stars to 137 for eight off their 20 overs at Docklands Stadium.
Opener Shaun Marsh then struck an unbeaten 64 off 49 deliveries as Renegades chased down their target with 16 balls to spare, to post their first win in three games.
Choosing to bowl, Renegades reduced 37 for two inside the power-play, Hosein sending down the second over which cost just eight runs.
Hilton Cartwright, who top-scored with 38 from 30 balls, then held the innings together, first in a 31-run, fifth wicket stand with Beau Webster (29) and then in a 27-run, sixth wicket partnership with Imad Wasim (14).
Hosein knocked over Marcus Stoinis for two in the ninth over before accounting for Webster at the start of the 15th.
In reply, Marsh struck ten fours in engineering a 68-run, second wicket partnership with Jake Fraser-McGurk (42) and a 46-run, unbroken fifth wicket stand with Jonathan Wells (14 not out), to see Renegades comfortably home.
