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Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and its franchises will contract 55 players for the 2014-15 season, which will also see a shrinking of the domestic game

Firdose Moonda17-Jul-2014Zimbabwe player contracts

Central contracts: Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva , Tendai Chatara , Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Natsai M’shangwe, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams

Winter contracts: Donald Tiripano, John Nyumbu, Mark Vermeulen, Timycen Maruma, Richmond Mutumbami, Michael Chinouya

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and its franchises will contract 55 players for the 2014-15 season, which will also see a shrinking of the domestic game. While 15 central contracts have been awarded and 40 domestic players will be signed up, the number of franchises has been cut from five to four with the Southern Rocks the team to have been dissolved.The announcement brings certainty to a situation which has hovered in limbo since a series of player strikes of non-payment hit Zimbabwean cricket last summer. Financial difficulties meant that players – both national and domestic – went up to four months without salaries. They protested by boycotting the local competitions which caught the attention of the ICC.In March, ICC CEO David Richardson and chief financial officer Faisal Hasnian visited Zimbabwe and recommended a series of cost-cutting measures including reducing the number of franchises and cricketers on contract. Now it appears ZC are implementing some of those measures as they look to reach stable ground which enable them to fulfill their international obligations.Fielding a full-strength national side is the most important step to doing that and Zimbabwe’s central contracts should make that easier. Along with the expected names of Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza, Prosper Utseya and Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwe have contracted batsmen Sikandar Raza and Regis Chakabva and bowlers including Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara. Sean Williams, who was one of the players unsure of his position last season, has also been contracted.In addition to those deals, ZC has also secured the services of six more players for international fixtures over the off-season through winter contracts. These agreements, which are typically three to four months long, will ensure the players are available for the Test against South Africa in August and the tri-series which follows and also includes Australia.Most notable among the six winter contractees is Mark Vermeulen, the 35-year old batsman with a troubled past who is determined to give himself the best chance of playing international cricket again. The list also includes wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, promising seamers Michael Chinouya and Donald Tiripano, offspinner John Nyumbu and batsman Timycen Maruma.All six players on winter contracts will form part of the 40 that are contracted domestically as well. That means there is room for a further 34 cricketers to receive franchises deals in Zimbabwe which will run for the 2014-15 season. Previously, each of the five franchises contracted seven players – giving Zimbabwe a total of 35 on domestic retainers – so although the number of teams has been cut, the number of players who will earn money from the game has increased.The Southern Rocks were expected to become defunct in April because they were regarded as the most financially unsustainable team in Zimbabwe’s system. Apart from the costs involved in maintaining the facilities, housing players and transporting them to Masvingo – which lies 280 km south of Harare and the same distance east of Bulawayo, making it the least accessible franchise in terms of location – the Rocks only had sparse successes.Although they won the 40-over competition in the second season of franchise cricket in 2010-11 the Rocks were mostly a middling side who struggled in first-class cricket in particular. Where they were adequate was in producing players for Zimbabwe, the most prominent of whom is left-arm seamer Brian Vitori.ZC had a choice between holding on to the franchise in the hope it could be a source of development or sacrificing a team for the greater monetary good, at a time when the administration was suffering from spiraling debt. The latter always looked the better option. Add to that that ZC has lost many of the coaches it would use in the franchise system, with Grant Flower involved in Pakistan, Heath Streak in Bangladesh and Gary Brent no longer heading up the academy, the decision to erode the Southern Rocks appears practical.If it means ZC will be able to pay players for the full duration of the 2014-15 season and meet all its commitments for incoming tours, it could also be a masterstroke in restoring the country’s cricket credibility.

Ross Taylor conceded that New Zealand would have take note of Pakistan’s steadfast approach and attempt to match them for discipline after a testing first day in the demanding conditions of Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2014Ross Taylor conceded that New Zealand would have to take note of Pakistan’s steadfast approach and attempt to match them for discipline after a testing first day in the demanding conditions of Abu Dhabi. Pakistan openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad put on 178 for the first wicket, which turned out to be the only one New Zealand managed to take all day.”We expected it to be pretty flat but it was a lot lower and slower than even we were expecting,” Taylor said. “The boys toiled hard, had a few half opportunities but didn’t take them but we’ve got to give credit to Hafeez and Shehzad, they batted very well… Another long day tomorrow, I guess, if we can pick up a few wickets with the new ball we can hopefully put them under some pressure.”Pakistan batted very well and put us on the back foot with the discipline they showed. Our bowlers showed discipline but the Pakistanis showed even more discipline to be able to bat and not look in any danger. When we did bowl well for periods of time, they just soaked it up and asked us to keep going for longer.”Coming on the back of their comprehensive 2-0 defeat of Australia, Pakistan’s good form continued after winning the toss and choosing to bat. New Zealand managed to keep on top of the run rate but saw several chances go to ground – a missed stumping of Shehzad when he was on 16 was particularly costly, as he went on to finish the day unbeaten on 126.Offspinner Mark Craig was the unlucky bowler on that occasion and while he and legspinner Ish Sodhi got through 40 overs between them, they could not force a breakthrough. In all, New Zealand used seven different bowlers, including the captain, Brendon McCullum, bringing himself on, but Corey Anderson was the only one to have any success when he took a return catch off Hafeez.”We had a plan and stuck to that for as long as possible but they batted very well and negated a few of the tactics we came up with,” Taylor said. “I was very impressed with the way Ish bowled, he probably deserved a lot more than what he got. Mark Craig once again toiled hard but didn’t get the rewards he would have liked.”Taylor was already envisaging an “old-school Test match” and said New Zealand would aim to inflict a similarly long spell in the field on Pakistan when their turn came to bat. “We know that we have to bat well in our first innings, if we can do that then it puts us in a decent position in asking Pakistan to bat again and see what happens after that,” he said. “It is only day one, still a long way to go in this Test match but the boys are still laughing in the change-room and I think that’s a good sign.”As a batting unit we need to learn from the way the Pakistanis went about it today. It’s going to be a long old Test, an old-school Test match where we need to bat long periods of time. Pakistan won this day but tomorrow’s another day.”

Fans will decide the order of this year’s GOAL50 lists, but our correspondents are also sharing their preferences during the voting period

With voting underway in this year’s GOAL50, fans around the world are having their say on which men’s and women’s players had the best 2021.

Our team of correspondents are also having their say, revealing their GOAL50 preferences this week.

Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella has compiled his list, which you can see below.

Voting is open on Goal from November 2 until November 16. 

Getty10Bruno Fernandes

It is impossible to doubt the creativity and impact that Bruno Fernandes has had on Manchester United over the last 12 months.

Not only has the Portugal international returned 18 goals and 15 assists in the last calendar year to date, but he has transformed his club as a leader on and off the pitch.

AdvertisementGetty9Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe ended last season as the top scorer in Ligue 1 for the third year running, while he also won the French top-flight's Player of the Year Award.

However, even after failing to win the league, it was the Champions League where the 22-year-old really made a name for himself.

A series of clutch performances in the knockout rounds ultimately ended in disappointment, as Manchester City knocked out PSG, but Mbappe still made a statement.

Getty8Joshua Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich is the heartbeat of Bayern Munich's midfield, but equally performs as one of the best right-backs in the world when moving out to play in defence.

The versatile leader of the German champions has marked himself out as arguably the most consistent performer in the Bundesliga in recent history.

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Getty7Karim Benzema

Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, Karim Benzema has stepped up to become the club's talisman.

The France international's goals were crucial to Los Blancos' push to win the Champions League and La Liga.

Although they fell short in both, it was through no fault of the 33-year-old, who has continued his good form this season with 11 goals and eight assists in his first 13 games.

Stuart Broad is to be reminded of his responsibilities on social media following a complaint by the PCB and the Pakistan spinner, Saeed Ajmal

George Dobell28-May-2014Stuart Broad is to be reminded of his responsibilities on social media following a complaint by the PCB and the Pakistan spinner, Saeed Ajmal.Broad, England’s captain in T20 cricket, incurred the anger of Ajmal and the Pakistan board after making comments on Twitter that could have been perceived as questioning the legality of the bowler’s action.ESPNcricinfo understands that Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, has provided assurances that Broad will be spoken to and reminded of his responsibilities. He will not be fined or formally disciplined.The incident started when Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, posted a still photograph of Ajmal bowling during the Championship match against Essex on Twitter with the caption “You are allowed 15 degrees of flex in your delivery swing…. #justsaying.”Broad then replied with the comment “This has to be a fake photo?!” before a further tweet stated: “Bowlers can bowl very differently in a lab while being tested compared to needing wickets in the middle.”Ajmal and the PCB interpreted the comments as a suggestion that the action he uses in a match situation is not the same as that used in testing. They also concluded that the comments insinuated that his action may not be legitimate. The PCB and Ajmal’s agent then contacted the ECB to seek an explanation.Ajmal, who played a large part in Pakistan’s whitewash Test series victory over England in the UAE at the start of 2012, is currently playing for Worcestershire as an overseas player in the County Championship. He claimed 13 wickets in the victory over Essex, including a career-best haul of 7 for 19 in the second innings.Ajmal’s action has been tested and cleared by the ICC. No county umpires have reported his action this season.”Broad’s dig hurt me the most,” Ajmal told pakpassion.net. “Former players will sit in the commentary box or wherever else and say some things for attention but you don’t expect such things from a fellow professional cricketer who is still playing cricket. It was disappointing to read Broad’s comments.”It is understood that Clarke phoned David Leatherdale, the chief executive of Worcestershire, on Wednesday morning and expressed his understanding of Ajmal’s concerns.”We are grateful for Mr Clarke’s understanding,” Umran Khan, Ajmal’s agent told ESPNcricinfo. “The position of England captain comes with a responsibility and we hope Stuart Broad will bear this in mind when making comments than can be damaging and hurtful in the future.”

Division Two leaders Hampshire were left frustrated after being unable to close out victory against bottom side Derbyshire on a rain-hit final day at the Ageas Bowl.

Press Association04-Jun-2014
ScorecardJames Tomlinson ran through the Derbyshire top order on the final day•Getty ImagesDivision Two leaders Hampshire were left frustrated after being unable to close out victory against bottom side Derbyshire on a rain-hit final day at the Ageas Bowl. But with Worcestershire also drawing against Surrey at The Oval, Hampshire remain four points ahead at the top of the table.With the morning session a wash-out, play was not able to start in Southampton until 2:30pm when Derbyshire resumed on 31 without loss chasing an improbable 346 for victory. Led by some fine bowling from left-armer James Tomlinson, the hosts ripped out eight wickets before finally being checked by the weather just before 6pm.When the players were able to get out onto the field, there was a swift breakthrough as Tomlinson had Paul Borrington caught behind from the first delivery. Fellow opener Stephen Moore, adding just three to his overnight 22, and then Marcus North both swiftly followed as Tomlinson struck again to leave Derbyshire 40 for 3.Matt Coles trapped Scott Elstone leg before without troubling the scorers and the visitors were five men down when captain Wayne Madsen was caught in the slips. Wicketkeeper Gareth Cross and Alex Hughes managed to steer Derbyshire to 51 for 5 at tea.In the first over of the final session, Kyle Abbott had Cross lbw for 5 as the visitors’ tail were left with some 32 overs to try to navigate safely.Left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, who claimed 5 for 50 in the first innings, chalked up another wicket when he trapped David Wainwright lbw for 22 to leave Derbyshire holding on at 94 for 7. Briggs struck again when Tony Palladino went the same way, adding just 2, leaving a potential 20 overs left to wrap things up.But cruelly for the rampant hosts the weather returned to hamper that victory bid, with the players taken off at just after 5:15pm when Derbyshire were 104 for 8. Hampshire looked to then have 8.4 overs to finish off the visitors, but bad light finally called an end to proceedings.Hughes was unbeaten on 18, which came from 85 balls and just shy of two hours in the middle, while tail-ender Tim Groenewald had made four in Derbyshire’s 107 for 8 off 52 overs.Tomlinson finished with an impressive 3 for 16 from his 11 overs, which included seven maidens.

Centurion is a long way from Chittagong but it is the last place South Africa and Australia will meet before they go in search of a piece of ICC silverware neither has won before

The Preview by Firdose Moonda13-Mar-2014Match facts AB de Villiers may return after sitting out the Durban match•AFPMarch 14, 2014
Start time 1800 (1600GMT)Big pictureCenturion is a long way from Chittagong but it is the last place South Africa and Australia will meet before they go in search of a piece of ICC silverware neither has won before. It was also the first place they met on this tour, little more than four weeks ago.Since then, Australia have announced their threat as a Test team by beating the top-ranked side in their own backyard; a man who served his country for 12 years and led them for 11 – Graeme Smith – retired; the two boards are in talks to lengthen future Test series to four matches and a T20 series that seemed destined to be washed out managed to squeeze in 14 overs in Durban. Both teams will want nothing less than another 20 overs as they finalise their preparations for the World T20.As much as that tournament will be at the back of both camps’ minds, so will the competitive streak between both sides. It doesn’t matter what the occasion, these teams manage to bring out the best and worst in each other. It took only an hour of intensity at Kingsmead to prove that.South Africa posted the highest seven-over total, which required Australia to score at almost two runs a ball to win. They managed, despite losing two wickets in an over that went for just five runs. Despite the rain and the gimmicky nature of a shortened match, it was a contest worth watching and this one is expected to be no different.Centurion is where it all started for Australia and is where it will end for both teams, until next time.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LLWWW
Australia WWWWLWatch out for South Africa’s finishers did not have the opportunity to get into the game at Kingsmead with the top three doing all the batting. Albie Morkel, in particular, will be anxious for crease time having not played international cricket for 18 months before doing only fielding duty in Durban. AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and David Miller will also want the opportunity to see how they can end innings off for South Africa.Having only played the third Test, bowled one over in the second T20 and batted for 11 minutes Shane Watson will be keen to make his presence felt. With the news that he will captain Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and his own tough talk about his country’s chances at the World T20, Watson will want to show he can also walk the walk before the tournament begins.Team newsDale Steyn and Morne Morkel are still in the final stages of recovery following injuries and are unlikely to feature for South Africa again. That will mean Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell and Beuran Hendricks will share the bulk of the seam bowling duties with Kyle Abbott, who is not included in the World T20 squad, unlikely to feature. De Villiers could be back after being rested from the Durban match which will mean no place for Farhaan Behardien and South Africa may want to field a specialist spinner to give Imran Tahir game time before the big event.South Africa: (likely) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Beuran Hendricks, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Imran TahirAustralia will not want to tinker too much with a batting line-up that has been rejigged to include David Warner and Watson. With Brad Hogg fit, there may not be room for another spinner in James Muirhead and Moises Henriques could also find himself on the sidelines again.Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Brad Hodge, 7 Brad Haddin (wk) 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Dan Christian, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Coulter-NilePitch and conditionsWith wet weather dominating the build-up, the pitch would have had to have been prepared under a tent and ever-present moisture could mean a tricky batting track. South Africa’s Highveld has been hard hit by rain over the last two weeks, but Friday is forecast to stay dry, despite being cool and cloudy. There’s a strong chance a full game will be played which will ensure the South African international summer ends on a high note.Stats and trivia South Africa and Australia have played three two-match T20 series (which is effectively what this one has become) against each other in the past. They’ve each won one series with the most recent one, in 2011, being shared with one victory apiece SuperSport Park is the venue where the record for the highest first-wicket partnership in any T20 was achieved. Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman smashed 170 against England in November 2009 and managed that off just 13.1 overs Quotes “There’s always a lesson no matter how many overs you play. Australia won the game and deserved to do so, but I wasn’t too disappointed about the way we played.”
“Anytime when you get to put yourself under pressure, it’s good. I’m just here to complement those guys up the top and use my experience.”

A round-up of the West Zone matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that took place on April 4, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2014Yusuf Pathan led from the front yet again, smashing an unbeaten 57 off 24 balls to help Baroda breeze through to their fourth win on the trot, after beating Maharashtra by six wickets in Mumbai. Chasing 140, Baroda lost their openers by the fourth over before Rakesh Solanki and Hardik Pandya put them on track with a stand of 49. Maharashtra hit back via Shrikant Mundhe who took two wickets in as many balls but they quickly ceded the advantage to Yusuf who then took control of the chase. Solanki remained unbeaten on 40 as Baroda wrapped it up with 15 balls to spare. Earlier, Maharashtra failed to put on substantial partnerships, with Rahul Tripathi top-scoring with 32 off 34 balls. Harshad Khadiwale and Vijay Zol, who performed well with the bat on Thursday, failed to make an impact.It was a mismatch at the Wankhede Stadium as Gujarat bundled out Saurashtra for 88 and won by 62 runs under lights. Venugopal Rao’s 61 set Gujarat to 150 before Saurashtra stumbled to Rohit Dahiya who took 4 for 10 with his medium pace. Gujarat were given a steady start by their openers Parthiv Patel and Rohit Darbar who added 47 in 8.4 overs. The best partnership was 62 between Rao and Smit Patel for the third wicket. Rao remained unbeaten on 61 off 37 balls with six fours and two sixes. Cheteshwar Pujara failed to make an impact with the bat in the chase, falling for 13 to Dahiya. Dahiya removed the top order, while the spinners Rujul Bhatt and Akshar Patel took two wickets each, cutting through the middle and lower order. No Saurashtra batsman made more than 16 and the innings was wrapped up in the 19th over.Their respective wins helped Gujarat and Baroda qualify for the second round of the tournament, which starts on April 8.

South Australia will enter the Big Bash League hiatus on top of the Sheffield Shield table after shrugging off an early wobble to complete a six-wicket victory over New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2013
ScorecardPhillip Hughes was man of the match for his first innings century•Getty ImagesSouth Australia will enter the Big Bash League hiatus on top of the Sheffield Shield table after shrugging off an early wobble to complete a six-wicket victory over New South Wales at the SCG.Early wickets to Sean Abbott left the Redbacks teetering at 4 for 31 in pursuit of 98 to win, before Callum Ferguson and the captain Johan Botha reprised their first innings contributions to take the visitors to outright points by lunch on the final day.Phillip Hughes was named man of the match for his first innings 118, but SA were beneficiaries of an even performance in which most players had a hand at some point of the four days.NSW, in second place on the table following their defeat, will rue a second innings slide to the swing bowling of Gary Putland and Chadd Sayers on day three, having started the match aggressively by surging to 373 on day one.

While the big boys of world cricket are bellowing about their hopes of winning the World Cup the little guys are contemplating their chances too. Just not for World Cup. Zimbabwe are targetting 2023

Firdose Moonda23-Jan-2015While the big boys of world cricket are bellowing about their hopes of winning the World Cup – South Africa in the literal sense, Australia with dominance in a triangular series at home, New Zealand by breaking records – the little guys are contemplating their chances too. Just not for World Cup.”By 2023 we want to be contending for the World Cup. That’s the aim,” Alastair Campbell, Zimbabwe Cricket’s newly-appointed managing director said. “It’s not an aim that’s unrealistic. It’s achievable. We’ve got a long-term view on this.”Campbell was given the organisation’s top job at the beginning of the year and put in charge of healing an ailing operation left embarrassed by the team being blanked in Bangladesh late last year. The former captain, who was previously the convener of selectors and in charge of the cricket committee, will oversee everything from finances to future cricketers and has put an eight-year plan in place to do that, with an eye on that year’s World Cup to measure his progress.”This is an executive role. It comes about because the board have found a real need for Zimbabwe cricket to progress in the right direction. After the Bangladesh tour, nobody had a pleasant word to say about Zimbabwe cricket. The results weren’t of the required nature and there has been fall out from that. There is a new coach, a new structure will be put in place and that falls under my plate,” Campbell explained in his first interaction with media on Thursday in Harare.”After this World Cup, we no longer automatically qualify unless we are in the top eight. We will have to go to a qualifying tournament and if we don’t qualify, that will have dire consequences for the game in Zimbabwe. So we need to create viable player pathways so that we identify talent and make sure that we are nurturing that talent.”And when we’re talking eight years, guys that are 15, 16 and 17 now those are going to be our World Cup contenders then, so that’s where the effort needs to be spent. We need to make sure our under-19 and under-17 sides are competitive and are getting access to the most professional coaching available. That’s easier said than done because a lot of that stuff takes money.”That is the one thing ZC have struggled for more than anything else. Their cash-flow problems have included mismanagement of an ICC loan, two crippling player strikes in as many seasons over non-payment and they remain knee-deep in debt. But Campbell, who is also an entrepreneur, is looking to change that by creating a more transparent financial model of which they hope investment will form the foundation stone.”My staff and I are going to go out there to local and international corporates and engage them to play a part in development structures,” Campbell said. “But we want to make sure we are not paying lip service to our development structures and there is tangible coaching going on and tangible benefits from the money that is being put in. We need to make sure we are accountable for the funds. It is a big task but we are going to start from square one again and make sure we build up slowly.”After attracting companies such as Stanbic Bank to back their T20 competition, ZC lost significant chunks of sponsorship when the honeymoon period after their Test comeback ended. Zimbabwe’s wider financial crisis was one reason for that, ZC’s own murky finances another and Campbell has promised there will be no repeat of the latter. “Maybe in the past some of the corporates have felt that ZC hasn’t been accountable enough for cash that has been given. We want to say that from now on every dollar you give us, there is some tangible reward and result from that,” he said.Money will go into academies and age-group teams as well as the domestic game. Campbell said ZC would even look into “reopening” the Southern Rocks franchise in Masvingo, which was dissolved at the start of this season, once they have got themselves on stable ground. For now, any money obtained will be spent on coaching but also on developing less technical aspects of the game.”There’s so many things that come into making a good sportsman. Donald Bradman said cricket is 90% mental and we need to nurture that mental side. Too much of that is neglected,” Campbell said. “Everyone thinks that if you hit a thousand balls every day that will make you a good player but if you can’t handle pressure, you’re not able to play on the big stage.”The immediate future presents the biggest stage and although Zimbabwe are not among the candidates who can win the World Cup, Campbell is expecting a certain minimum from them that he hopes will serve as the drawcard for the first investments. “We’re hoping our team can go to the World Cup, do well and be competitive. We’re under no illusion that we need to beat Ireland, we need to beat the UAE but against those other sides we need to be competitive,” he said.”Sometimes it’s the manner in which you lose. That’s what irritated the cricketing public – the way that the team have lost. You want to see them being competitive. If they’re competitive to the last five overs, they’ve had a good game. But if the game is gone in the 30th over and everyone turns off the TV and Zimbabwe have lost, that’s when people get irritated. I hope our guys can go there, take advantage of playing on a world stage and come back with their heads held high because that helps with the commercial side of the game. If you have a team that’s competitive, a team that’s winning some of the time. a team that’s seen to be improving, people are willing to part with their money because they see its nice being associated with a good brand.”But he also allowed himself to dream a little bit about some of the upsets Zimbabwe could pull off. “India are in their pool and they have already been on the road for three months so they will be tired and there’s a sniff there,” he said. “Pakistan are unpredictable. We’ve beaten them before, we can beat them again.” Everyone, even the boss, can dream a little.

Cameron White smashed an unbeaten 49-ball 84 to help Melbourne Stars thump Melbourne Renegades by nine wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2014
ScorecardCameron White struck six fours and four sixes during his 49-ball 84•Getty ImagesNineteen sixes were showered at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, as the spectators were treated to a scrumptious display of big hitting from both the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades.In the end though, the Stars overhauled 164 quite easily, thanks to the captain Cameron White’s 49-ball 84 – his 24th Twenty20 fifty – that completely took the match away from the Renegades.The Stars, who now move to the top of the table by virtue of their nine-wicket win, were comfortable throughout the chase, and were rarely threatened by a Renegades bowling attack that failed to produce a consistent, if not threatening, line and length.James Pattinson conceded just two runs off the first over of the innings, but White smoked Matthew Gale for three fours in the second to get the team underway. While White was aggressive, his opening partner Luke Wright was more content picking up singles to keep the runs flowing and rotate the strike. Wright was eventually dismissed for 17 after the pair had made 69 from eight overs, but there was to be no reprieve for the Renegades.Glenn Maxwell combined with White for an unbroken second-wicket association that yielded 98 runs from 50 balls, and ultimately took the Stars over the line with 22 deliveries remaining.The Renegades bowlers were all expensive, particularly Aaron O’Brien who leaked 26 runs in the 13th over. Maxwell finished unbeaten on 58 with two fours and six sixes, and sealed the victory with an outside edge that raced past the keeper for four.That the Stars had to even chase that much in the first place was due to Aaron Finch and Tom Cooper’s fourth-wicket stand of 102 which helped the Renegades recover from a slow start. The Renegades, choosing to bat, were reeling at 3 for 17 thanks to Jackson Bird’s triple strike in the second over, before Finch and Cooper counterattacked by striking seven fours and eight sixes between them.Cooper fell for a 44-ball 60, but Finch remained unbeaten on 84, with six giant sixes, including one off James Faulkner that he pulled straight up to the roof of the stadium. The team finished at 5 for 163, but in the end, it proved to be well short of a total intimidating enough to worry White and Maxwell.