HITS

Welcome back, lads
Haven’t the Scorchers missed having pace duo Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile at their disposal? Left-arm speedster Behrendorff missed the entire Big Bash last summer, while bowling all-rounder Coulter-Nile hasn’t been since for three years. The pair combined for four wickets in as many overs to turn the game on its head after the Scorchers were bundled out for a record low total of 103 on the road. The hope was short-lived however, with things going pear-shaped once again after the opening pair were taken out of the bowling attack.

‘Swinghari’
The Big Bash has a new star. Given the new ball by captain Tom Cooper, left-arm speedster Usman Shinwari didn’t disappoint, setting the tone for the match with a brilliant opening spell. Nicknamed ‘Swinghari’ by his new teammates, the Pakistani lived up to his name. He regularly troubled the Scorchers’ top-order and finished with an economical 2-17 from his four overs to awarded man-of-the-match honours on debut.

Dan The Man
Veteran Dan Christian didn’t take long to have an impact in his Renegades return. The 35-year-old, who only arrived back in Melbourne this week after winning the Mzansi Super League in South Africa with Jozi Stars, got rid of Scorchers top-scorer Michael Klinger (28) with the first ball of his spell. He wasn’t done with yet, grabbing two more scalps on his way to 3-22 from three overs.

Sam who?
Little-known wicketkeeper Sam Harper showed he was a player to watch this summer after his match-winning knock. The former Melbourne Star, 22, looked like he was batting on a different pitch at Marvel Stadium, getting his side out of massive trouble at 4-17 with a quickfire 36 from 25 balls, including three boundaries and two maximums. His 68-run partnership with Mohammed Nabi (35 from 27) steadied the ship early before an eye-catching counter-attack. When Harper was run out by a direct hit from Michael Klinger in the 12th over, the ‘Gades only needed 18 runs from 49 balls.

MISSES

Record low for Scorchers
The Scorchers have broken plenty of Big Bash records over the years, but this one is definitely unwanted. Adam Voges’ men were bundled out for their lowest score away from home, just 103. Jason Behrendroff was the last man out, hitting one straight to Dan Christian at long on last ball of the 19th over.

Qadir’s expensive debut
That was painful to watch. Scorchers leg-spinner Usman Qadir struggled with the ball on debut. He looked nervous and bowled way too short in his one-and-only over, going for 16 runs including a massive six. He was surprisingly given the ball by Mitch Marsh in the 15th over and bowled a wide first up. The game was over not long after.