Matt Renshaw and Jack Wildermuth both slammed centuries to guide Brisbane Heat to record BBL win
Matt Renshaw is back on the happy train, revealing frustration had started creeping in during the early part of the Ashes series before he was able to again close the door to any negative thoughts.
Renshaw produced one of the most memorable knocks in KFC BBL history on Friday night when he struck 102 off 51 balls to guide the Brisbane Heat to a famous eight-wicket win over Perth Scorchers at the Gabba.
In reply to Perth’s mammoth total of 6-257, the Heat reached 2-258 with one ball to spare as all sorts of records tumbled.
Renshaw combined with Jack Wildermuth (110no off 54 balls) for a BBL-record 212-run partnership, leading the Heat to the BBL’s highest ever successful run chase.
Yet many believe Renshaw shouldn’t have been at the Gabba on Friday night.
Instead, they believe the 29-year-old should have been opening the batting for Australia in the third Ashes Test against England at Adelaide Oval.
Renshaw’s hot Sheffield Shield form had him in the thick of the conversation to open the batting for the Ashes alongside Usman Khawaja, before selectors eventually opted for Jake Weatherald instead.
At the height of the selection speculation in October, Renshaw said he was doing his best to keep the outside noise at bay.
“I hide,” Renshaw said at the time.
“I don’t try and look at any news, I hide all the cricket stuff on my Instagram so I don’t see it.”
But after being overlooked for selection, Renshaw couldn’t help but get sucked back into the vortex of scores updates, and social commentary as the Ashes got under way.
“I had a little blip the last couple of weeks with the Ashes going on, being a supporter, trying to watch it, just getting interested as a supporter,” Renshaw said after his match-winning knock for the Heat on Friday night.
“So a few things crept in, and a bit of frustration ensued.
“So I got my head back on the train the last couple of days, and it really worked out well.”
Renshaw cracked nine sixes and five fours against the Scorchers, putting to bed any ill-informed opinions that he’s not a good T20 player.
“It’s one of those where T20 cricket for me, it was always something I wasn’t good at apparently,” Renshaw said tongue in cheek.
Even if Renshaw doesn’t end up getting a look-in for the Ashes, his hot form means he looms as potentially the next man in if Australia opt for a different combination at the top of the Test order down the track.
Wildermuth was the other big story of Friday night, with the 32-year-old smashing past his previous highest BBL score of 31 in one of the greatest nights of his life.
“I actually did my hamstring two times in about six weeks in Shield cricket,” Wildermuth told Fox Cricket.
“So I got an opportunity to just work on white ball going into the Big Bash, and that’s been my prep.”
KFC BBL|15 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1
STA
1
1
0
0
0
2.037
0
2
2
REN
1
1
0
0
0
0.7
0
2
3
SCO
2
1
1
0
0
0.365
0
2
4
STR
1
1
0
0
0
0.326
0
2
5
HEA
2
1
1
0
0
-0.277
0
2
6
HUR
2
1
1
0
0
-0.906
0
2
7
THU
1
0
1
0
0
-0.126
0
0
8
SIX
2
0
2
0
0
-0.616
0
0
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
