Ben Duckett`s Half Century Put Melbourne Stars Upfront
Ben Duckett’s fifty played a crucial role in securing a narrow victory for the Melbourne Stars against the Melbourne Renegades during the MCG derby today. Duckett remained resilient when his team found themselves at 3/2 in their chase, and although he could not guide his side to victory himself, Hilton Cartwright and Glenn Maxwell stepped up to complete the task, marking the Stars’ second consecutive win after starting their season with five losses in a row.
The Melbourne Renegades, on the other hand, struggled to start their innings after being asked to bat first by the Stars, as Josh Brown was caught after hitting a ball directly to mid-off in the first over. Jake Fraser-McGurk had difficulty finding his rhythm, managing only 6 runs off 11 balls at one stage. Although he finally hit a six to relieve some pressure, the unpredictable opener was dismissed on the very next delivery. Tim Seifert followed him soon after, as he was bowled attempting a reverse sweep against Usama Mir, with the Renegades’ run rate barely exceeding six by the halfway point.
Jacob Bethell, who was granted a second chance early in his innings, teamed up with Jonathan Wells to turn the game around for their team. The duo succeeded in adding 71 runs for the fourth wicket. The batting side appeared to be gaining momentum when they managed to score 16 runs in the 15th over, positioning themselves well for a strong finish. However, against the flow of the game, Bethell edged a top shot and Wells soon followed him back to the pavilion. Those dismissals allowed the Stars to mount a comeback, and without Laurie Evans’ brief innings, the Renegades could have found it difficult to reach 160.
Nevertheless, a target of 169 began to seem daunting for Stars after they lost two wickets within three balls early in the second over. Thomas Rogers attempted to play a straight delivery but missed, followed by Ben Duckett’s unfortunate run-out on Sam Harper. Taking it upon himself, the Englishman initiated Stars’ comeback with a series of boundaries, including two sixes in one over bowled by Tom Rogers. He received support from Marcus Stoinis as well, as the captain aggressively targeted the bowlers from the start, scoring 24 runs off just 13 balls.
Nevertheless, a target of 169 began to seem daunting for Melbourne Stars after they lost two wickets within three balls early in the second over. Thomas Rogers attempted to play a straight delivery but missed, followed by Duckett’s unfortunate run-out of Sam Harper. Taking it upon himself, the Englishman initiated Stars’ comeback with a series of boundaries, including two sixes in one over bowled by Tom Rogers. He received support from Marcus Stoinis as well, as the captain aggressively targeted the bowlers from the start, scoring 24 runs off just 13 balls.
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Duckett then reached his third fifty of the season, and with Stoinis also in excellent form, victory seemed within reach for the Stars as they required 57 runs from the last seven overs at one stage. At that moment, a twist occurred as the Renegades bowled two tight overs, increasing the required run rate, and when the Stars chose to take the surge, they lost both Ben Duckett and Marcus Stoinis in consecutive overs.
As the game took a dramatic turn, a crucial six from Cartwright on the last ball of the surge eased the tension, and the momentum shifted again when Maxwell hit a six off Will Sutherland. Maxwell then followed with an impressive reverse shot in the second-to-last over that went for six, and when the target was reduced to 8 runs off 4 balls, Cartwright effectively sealed the victory with a massive 121m six followed by a four.
