Scorchers hammer Renegades

The Perth Scorchers have started their home BBL10 campaign in dominant style, thrashing the Melbourne Renegades by 96 runs at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Half centuries from Josh Inglis and Colin Munro set up a strong total of 3-185 having been invited to bat first, before the Renegades simply fell apart with the bat in their run chase, all out for 89 in just 12.5 overs.

There was some solace for the bottom placed visitors, who acquired the Bash Boost Point for outscoring the Scorchers in the opening ten overs of their batting innings, despite losing eight wickets in doing so.

It was a must win contest for both sides coming in to the clash, the Scorchers sitting in sixth spot and the Renegades in eighth with just one win each to their name so far in the tournament.

Import openers Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy got off to a sedate start, run scoring difficult as the Melbourne bowlers varied their pace and length well.

Livingstone made 20 before being stumped off the bowling of Noor Ahmad, the Afghanstani wrist spinner celebrating his 16th birthday with a big wicket.

Roy laboured to 27 from 32 balls before splicing a catch to Renegades skipper Aaron Finch at mid-off, the Scorchers needing a partnership at 2-56.

Thankfully that is exactly what the home side got, with Inglis and Munro adding 117 runs for the third wicket to set up a strong total.

Inglis finished unbeaten on 72 from just 41 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes in an aggressive knock that set the tone for the back half of the innings.

He was afforded a life on 10 when Peter Hatzoglou stood on the rope in completing a catch from the bowling of Jack Prestwidge, making the most of his second opportunity at the batting crease.

Munro found plenty of room in the air as he struck five sixes in his score of 52, departing in the final over as the Scorchers finished strong thanks to Inglis and a last ball six from Mitchell Marsh.

Speedster Jhye Richardson set the tone for the bowling effort by castling Sam Harper (4) second ball of the innings, the Renegades losing three wickets in the opening four over powerplay to bat themselves in to trouble.

Aaron Finch (8) was run out via the fingertips of Jason Behrendorff at the non strikers end, Shaun Marsh having played a forceful off-drive that the bowler was good enough to get a fingertip on with Finch run out backing up.

Beau Webster edged the same bowler to slip having made 3, before youngster Aaron Hardie claimed the huge scalp of Shaun Marsh, acrobatically snaffled by Jason Roy at point.

It was a procession from there for the home side, cricket starved Scorchers fans with plenty of reasons to cheer as wickets fell at regular intervals.

Melbourne went down swinging chasing the Bash Boost Point, achieving the score eight wickets down when Jack Prestwidge pulled Richardson over the deep square leg boundary for six.

The young all-rounder was the only shining light with the bat, striking 33 from 24 balls before being caught attempting to strike a fourth six, Behrendorff with the catch just inside the rope from the bowling of Liam Livingstone.

It was all over in the next over, Fawad Ahmed finishing with two wickets as the Scorchers made it back to back wins in the competition, their second biggest victory in terms of runs with a 96 run triumph.

All six bowlers tasted success with the ball, the team in orange now with a perfect opportunity to build some momentum with three more games at Optus Stadium through the moving period of the Big Bash competition.

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