Wildermuth and Renshaw Revel After Heat’s Record-Breaking Run Chase

Brisbane Heat registered a stunning win over Perth Scorchers in the 6th match of BBL 15. The highlight of their victory was the duo of Jack Wildermuth and Matt Renshaw, who scored brilliant centuries to ace the chase of 257 runs in the second innings. Their continuous onslaught made bowling difficult for the Scorchers' pacers, as they ran out of answers to contain both batters at the crease.

Jack Wildermuth scored 110 runs off 54 balls, whereas Matt Renshaw smashed 102 off just 51 balls. Their combined effort made the chase easy for the Brisbane Heat, giving their dugout a sense of relief after facing a hard time in the first innings.

Speaking about his brilliant hundred, Jack Wildermuth said he is still a little shocked after nailing the record chase against Perth Scorchers. He called it one of the best innings of his life, of which he is very proud.

"Not quite, still in a bit of shock to be honest. Sitting here winning the game is pretty surreal." said Jack Wildermuth after playing match-winning innings against Perth Scorchers.

Matt Renshaw expressed similar sentiments, saying that he still cannot believe how the second innings went and how the Heat completed the chase. He added that many people had written them off after the first innings, but luckily, they proved them wrong with a stunning second-innings performance.

"Still don't really believe it. A lot of goosebumps, but it's an incredible effort. I think a lot of people probably put us out of the contest, and I think probably we did as well when we got to that first ball." said Matt Renshaw.

Talking about the game plan, Wildermuth said they knew the required runs from the outset, so their only plan was to take on the Scorchers’ bowlers aggressively. Fortunately, they executed it well, as their partnership gave Heat a strong advantage in the match.

"We didn't speak too much, to be honest. We knew we had to go at 13 per over, so we were going to have a crack." said Jack Wildermuth.

Matt Renshaw also echoed the same thought, saying they didn’t talk too much during the second innings as the required objective was clear.

"It was one of those weird ones. We didn't talk too much. It was more - just take the right option, see the ball, try and hit the ball where you need to." said Matt Renshaw.

Maximizing Runs in the Powerplay

Wildermuth then described the core batting plan, saying that he and Renshaw decided to use the Powerplay to score as many runs as possible. After that, they focused on maintaining their partnership while continuing to bat aggressively, so that the required run rate always remained under their control.

"[We] just wanted to set up the first four overs, and try and give us a good start. Then go from there, get a good partnership with Renners. If he hit two or three boundaries an over, we felt like we could stay with the run rate.” said Jack Wildermuth.

“That was it. Just kept going with that. About the 10-over mark, I thought we were a real chance. We talked about how you can really backend this game, and go at 12s [runs an over] for the last 10." added Jack Wildermuth.

Matt Renshaw then described the nature of the pitch. He said it offered a tennis-ball-like bounce, so playing aggressive shots carried some risk. Luckily, he adjusted quickly and began playing his natural game without worrying too much about the results.

"There was a little bit of tennis-ball bounce. That first ball Munner's got looked like it exploded. Jhye [Richardson] is obviously a pretty good bowler, so I was a bit nervous walking out there thinking I might get my shoulder ripped off. But it started to skid on." said Matt Renshaw.

Applauding the Skills of Matt Renshaw

Wildermuth then applauded the skills of Matt Renshaw, saying that he is a good player of spin who can take on the bowlers positively during the middle overs. He further explained how Renshaw targeted the short boundary, so that runs can come quickly.

"Definitely [helped]. Especially with Renners out there. He's a great player of spin, and as a left-hander, I knew he could target the short side from that end, and then I could probably target it from the top-end a little bit." added Jack Wildermuth.

He then said that getting this sort of win will definitely give the Brisbane Heat a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament. He admitted that there were some bowling lapses in the first innings, which they will review and aim to rectify in team meetings.

"This is going to give us a lot of confidence having this sort of win early in the season. We'll go and look at our bowling and some of the things we can improve there, and I've no doubt we hope to go deep in the tournament." concluded Jack Wildermuth.