BH vs ST | Khawaja and Renshaw overshadow Warner’s knock as Heat thrash Thunder by seven wickets

‌Sydney Thunder’s forgettable season in the Big Bash League continued with a seven-wicket thrashing away at the hands of Brisbane Heat on Saturday. The hosts’ skipper Usman Khawaja scored a quickfire half-century on his first match post international retirement to overshadow David Warner’s effort with the bat, subjecting the visitors to their seventh loss, fifth consecutive one, this season.

Opting to bat first at the Gabba, the Thunder posted a formidable 180/6 on the board in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Warner once again led from the front, hitting eight fours and three sixes and top-scoring in the game with a knock of 82 off 56 balls. Apart from Warner, the middle-order duo of Sam Billings and Nic Maddinson played valuable supporting roles with knocks of 34 and 21, respectively. Meanwhile, part-time off-spinner Matt Renshaw was the pick among the Heat’s bowlers with a spell of 2/29 in four overs, with Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Thomas Balkin chipping in with a wicket apiece.

However, the home side’s opener made the chase look like a walk in the park, smashing three sixes and four fours during his 15-ball blitz, scoring 39. That helped the Heat finish the four-over powerplay at an imperious 59/1 and set the perfect foundation for the remainder of the innings. From then on, captain Khawaja and Renshaw took the side close to the finish line with a partnership of 93 runs off 56 balls for the third wicket. But the skipper could not see the chase off, getting dismissed five runs short of the target after making 78 off 48 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes. However, Renshaw remained unbeaten on 42 off just 26 balls, a knock which included four fours and a six, as the home side went past the target to end at 183/3 with 22 balls to spare. For the visitors, Wes Agar, Daniel Sams, and Chris Green all ended with a wicket in an ineffective bowling display.