Teenager Peake Steals The Show As Renegades Stun Scorchers In Perth

Melbourne Renegades beat Perth Scorchers by four wickets in a final-over thriller. Before the final over, Oliver Peake’s innings was more about survival than a headline. He was almost given up, and looked as if he might run out of partners before the chase could be finished.

Then came the final delivery: four needed, Aaron Hardie bowling full. Peake shuffled, anticipated, and lifted the ball over fine leg for six. He finished unbeaten on 42 and booked himself an immediate flight to Africa, where he will captain Australia at the Under-19 World Cup.

"It's pretty surreal. To do it here in front of all the Scorchers fans is pretty special and what you grow up dreaming of doing. I had a bit of luck and [I am] just happy that it all paid off tonight."

Perth had been dismissed for 127 in 19.2 overs. The target seemed manageable, and the Renegades were 51 for 1 when they lost control. Fifty balls passed without a boundary, and the middle order failed.

Peake was involved in controversy when he was initially given out on 15 after Ashton Turner appeared to take a tumbling catch. The decision was overturned on review because replays indicated that the ball touched the turf, and the Perth fans expressed their opinion. Peake started to take control there, building a 42-run stand with Will Sutherland, who added 15.

A big part of the win belonged to the Renegades bowlers. Gurinder Sandhu’s 4 for 28 gave him a season total of 14 wickets at 14.71, moving him to the top of the Golden Arm leaderboard. Hassan Khan chipped in with 2 for 26, including the dismissal of Mitch Marsh. Perth started its innings poorly, and both Finn Allen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply.

Aaron Hardie battled to 44 and was the only constant scorer, but Perth lost five wickets in just 16 runs on 17 balls, and they ended way below what they had expected. In the end, it took calm nerves and one fearless shot from Peake to finish the job.