Replacement player Bekker takes centre-stage as Renegades win Melbourne derby

Melbourne Renegades 146 for 6 (Capsey 33, Faltum 29, Stalenberg 26*, Kapp 2-22) beat Melbourne Stars 141 for 9 ( Deepti 23, Illingworh 1-8, Bekker 1-9) by 15 runs

Bekker was playing just her second WBBL game after being called into the squad to replace injured spinner Sophie Molineux (knee). The 20-year-old didn’t let the big stage of a Melbourne derby faze her, returning the miserly figures of 1 for 9 from her four overs to be named player of the match.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Bekker said. “I was at the pub a couple of days ago with my mates, and then got the call [to join the squad]. I played against the Scorchers which was really cool. And then hopped on a flight. It’s been really rushed.”

Bekker’s maiden WBBL wicket was none other than superstar batter Meg Lanning.

“Everyone was cheering me on, I was just trying to bowl my best ball, and it happened to be Meg Lanning, which was kind of awesome,” Bekker said.

The Renegades were 54 for 2 after 10 overs when they took the power surge. Although Deandra Dottin fell for 7 shortly after, Renegades cracked 29 runs off the two overs. Alice Capsey and Wareham fell in quick succession before Stalenberg and Faltum steadied the ship with a 55-run stand.

Stars’ run chase started slowly with the scoreboard reading 16 for 1 after five overs. Bhatia was lucky to still be there after being dropped by wicketkeeper Faltum in the first over when she was yet to score. The opener scored 22 off 26 balls, but the rest of her team-mates struggled for fluency as the required run rate ballooned out.

Brisbane Heat 175 for 6 (Rodrigues 61) beat Adelaide Strikers 167 for 4 (Patterson 61*, Penna 59*) by eight runs