Big Bash 2014/15: Melbourne Stars thump Melbourne Renegades by record margin

Melbourne Stars secured their first victory of the Big Bash season with a thumping 112-run triumph over city rivals Renegades.

Luke Wright (39 off 21 balls) and Kevin Pietersen (25 off 28) helped Stars post 169-6 from their 20 overs before the visitors skittled out their hosts for a measly 57 to win by the biggest margin in the competition’s history.

Michael Beer, Jackson Bird and Scott Boland claimed two wickets apiece for the away team as only one Renegades batsman, Tom Cooper (10), made double figures in the lowest Big Bash score recorded to date.

Stars – who lost their first three games of the campaign, to Adelaide Strikers, Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat – have now leapfrogged Heat and Renegades in the standings and moved to within two points of a play-off place.

Wright and his skipper, Cameron White (22 of 19), put on 40 for the Stars’ first wicket, before the latter edged behind and Pietersen, back in action after spending Christmas in England, strode to the crease.

The Englishmen combined to add a further 39 runs – Renegades bowlers James Pattinson and Andre Russell receiving plenty of tap – but their partnership came to an end when Wright clobbered a Rusell long hop straight to Callum Ferguson.

Russell also forced David Hussey (9) to retire hurt after he struck the veteran Australia batsman on the hand, while Pietersen’s relatively sedate knock, which included only two fours, finished when he chipped a slow ball from Dwayne Bravo to Renegades captain Aaron Finch.

Capitulating

Stars were 96-2 at the halfway stage in their innings but found runs harder to come by in their final 10 overs with Finch and fellow spinner Fawad Ahmed as well as quick Nathan Rimmington keeping things tight.

However, Renegades were blown away when they came out to bat, capitulating to 16-5 before five overs had been completed, with Beer (2-14) and Bird (2-12) doing most of the damage.

Beer dropped Finch off his own bowling in the first over but quickly atoned for that error by catching out Matthew Wade (4) at fine leg off the nagging seam of Bird and then snaffling Finch (8) and Ferguson (0).

Bird dismissed Ben Rohrer (1) lbw with a corking swinging delivery before John Hastings got in on the act, removing Bravo (3) caught behind by wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt to leave the Renegades’ reply in tatters.

Russell (9) clumped two fours and Cooper top scored for the hosts but the Renegades’ paltry batting effort concluded when Boland (2-10) – who had earlier pocketed the wickets of Cooper and Ahmed – ran out last man Nick Winter in the 13th over.

Stars’ triumph beat the 98-run win Perth Scorchers accrued over Adelaide Strikers in January 2013, while Renegades’ limp 57 was 12 runs worse than the 69 Scorchers collected against Stars in December 2012.

Former England batsman Marcus Trescothick:

“This is a huge win for the Stars and thrown them right towards the top four and if they can get another victory straightaway they will start to build real momentum. They were bang on the money from ball one in this game with Luke Wright playing nicely and building a platform and then Jackson Bird and Michael Beer performing so well with the ball at the start of the Renegades’ innings.”

Watch more Big Bash action on Sunday as Brisbane Heat tackle Adelaide Strikers at The Gabba. Coverage begins