Mackenzie Harvey and Beau Webster pull off Melbourne Renegades heist

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Melbourne Stars looked to be cruising but now their hopes of qualifying to the playoffs have taken a hit

Melbourne Renegades 5 for 160 (Harvey 47*, Coulter-Nile 3-41) beat Melbourne Stars 6 for 158 (Larkin 61*) by five wickets

An extraordinary, unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 63 in just 25 balls between Mackenzie Harvey and Beau Webster dragged Melbourne Renegades to only their third win of the season and put a dent in their cross-town rivals’ qualification hopes.

Shuffling up and down the order, Harvey had struggled for any rhythm or form this season, and arrived at No. 6 with 71 needed off 37 balls in a chase of 159. But with licence to free his arms, he pumped three fours and a six in the Power Surge before punishing some shoddy death bowling with Webster for company to seal an improbable win.

Melbourne Stars looked to be cruising to a four-point victory which would have taken them second after securing the Bash Boost thanks to a tight start with the ball, but instead their playoff chances are now in jeopardy. They sit third with 24 points, but have played a game more than the four teams hot on their heels, and play the in-form Perth Scorchers in their next fixture on Saturday.

For the Renegades, this was a happy homecoming after a 359-day stretch without playing at Marvel Stadium. They were already mathematically out of contention for the finals, but after their top five had contributed a combined 84 runs off 88 balls, they sent a 14,208-strong crowd home happy thanks to Harvey’s heroics.

More to follow…

Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @mroller98

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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