BBL 2025-26, Match 26 Review: Oliver Peake's last-ball six helps Renegades clinch thriller

Melbourne Renegades stay afloat in the Big Bash League 2025-26 as they secured a four-wicket win in a last-ball thriller against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday, January 7, in Perth.

Batting first, Perth Scorchers struggled to find momentum throughout their innings as they were wrapped up for an under-par 127 in 19.2 overs. The Scorchers’ top order faltered, with Finn Allen and Cooper Connolly departing cheaply in the powerplay.  

Allen started aggressively, smacking Gurinder Sandhu down the ground for a six, but the bowler avenged that treatment the next ball, taking the pace off to induce a false shot as Allen miscued one to mid-off. 

Jason Behrendorff cleaned up Connolly soon afterwards, even as Mitchell Marsh held his end briefly. He failed to convert the start into anything of note, edging Hassan Khan behind to walk back for 27 off 25. Hassan returned in the next over to get Ashton Turner caught at long on while Lauri Evans top-edged a short one from Will Sutherland, with Mohammad Rizwan snaffling an easy catch. 

Sandhu added two more to his tally, cleaning up the tail as he sent back Joel Paris and David Payne after Nick Hobson and Jhye Richardson were run out. Sandhu claimed 4/28 in his four overs, while Hassan ended with 2/26, halting the opponents well short of a competitive total. 

The Renegades started the chase steadily but lost momentum in the middle overs, suffering a sudden collapse as they went from 54 for 1 to 72 for 5. The collapse started when Tim Seifert was caught short of his ground in the eighth over to end his laboured outing (11 off 16). Connolly had Rizwan stumped for 21 off 25 in the next over, while Jake Fraser-McGurk found the man at backward point off Jhye Richardson to complicate the chase further. Hassan Khan was undone cheaply too, messing up a shot off Turner into the hands of long-on.

However, the 19-year-old Oliver Peake emerged as the game-changer for Renegades, arresting the slide with a counterattacking knock. Renegades needed 10 off the final over. Aaron Hardie contained them brilliantly, bringing the situation down to four required off the final ball. Hardie went full and wide outside off, only for Peake to shuffle across and swing the ball over short fine leg for six, sealing a dramatic victory. Peake finished unbeaten on 42 off 30 balls, including four boundaries and a six.

The Scorchers remain second in the tally with four wins in seven matches, while the Renegades are at sixth position with three wins from six games.