Perth Scorchers 162 (Inglis 64, Hardie 57, Rogers 3-18, Sutherland 3-36) beat Melbourne Renegades 149 for 8 (Marsh 59, Tye 2-29, Morris 2-35) by 13 runs
Scorchers lost a remarkable seven wickets for just five runs in the space of 18 balls in their innings to go from 157 for 3 in 16.4 overs to 162 all out in 19.4 overs. In reply, Marsh scored 59 off 36 balls to guide Renegades to within touching distance of victory.
It left Renegades winless after five games, while Scorchers (three wins, one no-result) are yet to lose this season.
Marsh, a former Scorchers star, had been sidelined from the first four games this season because of a lingering knee injury that has affected him for the best part of 2023. A misfield during the Scorchers innings showed his rustiness. But he looked far more at home with bat in hand, cracking four fours and three sixes during his innings.
He needed just 28 balls to bring up his half-century, with his knock lifting Renegades after they had made a slow start to the run chase.
Batting at No. 4, Marsh arrived at the crease for the start of the seventh over after Jake Fraser-McGurk had been run-out at the non-striker’s end in unlucky fashion. Tye got his boot to a Joe Clarke straight drive, catching Fraser-McGurk in no-man’s land.
With Clarke (32 in 33 balls) struggling for fluency, Marsh ensured the scoreboard ticked over at an adequate rate before upping the ante later in his innings.
The wheels fell off for Renegades after that, with Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Tye producing some tight overs at the death to tie them down.
But then came the collapse.
Hardie was the first to fall in that sequence when he was caught in the deep.
Three balls later, Nick Hobson holed out.
Renegades even completed a team hat-trick when Jhye Richardson fell first ball of the 20th over, and Scorchers were put out of their misery when Morris was run-out three deliveries later.
Star spinner Adam Zampa (1 for 48) copped a battering, but he did take the wicket of Hardie.
