Bravo’s five wickets fires Renegades to victory

The Hurricanes’ three pronged pace battery cranked up the speed gun but could only fire blanks as they slumped to a heavy loss in their BBL opener at Blundstone Arena.

Hobart plumped for a trio of rapid quicks - imports Tymal Mills and Jofra Archer were joined by Big Bash debutant Aaron Summers - and while all three pushed or broke the 150km/h barrier their radars were too often skewed in a seven wicket defeat by the Melbourne Renegades.

Forced to defend an under par total of 8-164 after West Indian maestro Dwayne Bravo (5-28) took the first five wicket haul for the Renegades in the Big Bash, the Hurricanes joy at removing danger man Aaron Finch in the first over was short lived.

Veteran Cameron White and Marcus Harris withstood the pace barrage, cashing in on regular loose offerings to set the platform in the chase with a franchise record second wicket partnership of 113.

By the time Harris was caught at deep square leg for 50 off the bowling of Archer in the 14th over the damage was done, with the Renegades only needing a further 48 runs to win from 40 balls.

Archer, the most impressive of the trio, removed Tom Cooper for a duck to deliver a double wicket maiden but any hopes of a miraculous Hurricanes comeback was quickly shut in the next over when evergreen Brad Hodge launched Summers deep onto the hill to get off the mark.

White finished with his highest score in red since crossing from the Melbourne Stars, unbeaten on 79 from 59 balls. Mills and Summers coughed up 65 runs from seven overs, with Bravo’s guile and skill clearly outpointing their ploy of out and out pace.

Defensive bowling has been Hobart’s Achilles heel since it last reached the finals in 2013-14 and while the execution last night was poor the attack was let down by a batting group unable to cash in.

The top five all got starts but D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott top scored with just 34 apiece. Melbourne Renegades: 3/165 (C White 79, M Harris 50; J Archer 2/17) defeated Hobart Hurricanes 8/164 (D Short 34, B McDermott 34; D Bravo 5/28).