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Match Report:

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Renegades on the edge after latest batting stumble

A seventh loss of the season has the Renegades fighting to stay in the race for finals as the Sydney Sixers win to keep pace with the top two

The Melbourne Renegades are staring down a third straight KFC BBL season without finals after another dismal batting performance against the Sydney Sixers.

Chasing a modest 151 to jump clear in the race for fifth spot and knock off the two-time reigning champions, the Renegades never looked likely when skipper Nic Maddinson and Aaron Finch both fell for single figures.

Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was recalled to the side and became the fourth opener tried by coach David Saker this season, also fell in single figures, as did Mackenzie Harvey.

Shaun Marsh provided a glimmer of hope with his 39 from 36 balls, but when he was bowled by Hayden Kerr in the 13th over it effectively signalled the end of the contest as they were bowled out for 105 in the 17th over.

Ben Dwarshuis was the chief destroyer with 5-26 – his first T20 five-wicket haul – while Sean Abbott also picked up two wickets.

It was a marginally better batting performance than in their previous match against the Thunder where they were bowled out for 80 inside 15 overs.

Career best for Dwarshuis as Sixers thrash Renegades

In 11 games this season, the Renegades have scored more than 155 only once, including totals of 100, 121, 80 and 105 tonight.

The batting undid the impressive performance of the Renegades' bowling attack, which Saker said was their best effort of the season to date.

The main shining light for the Renegades was the performance of leg-spinner Cameron Boyce, who was terrific in his first game in two seasons with 2-15 from his four overs.

The 32-year-old, who played his last game of professional cricket in February 2020 after missing last summer because of illness, didn't concede a boundary and claimed the wickets of Jack Edwards (40) and Daniel Hughes (17).

Earlier, the Sixers lost Josh Philippe in the first over for his third duck in his past four innings after skipper Moises Henriques elected to bat first in the second match at GMHBA Stadium on Tuesday.

Hughes and Edwards, who was elevated to open after James Vince was called up to England's T20 squad, took the score to 44 before the left-hander also holed out, just as Philippe had done.

Henriques played a handy knock of 49 from 35 balls, as did allrounder Dan Christian (22 off 21), but regular wickets stalled their momentum as they were restricted to 6-150 from their 20 overs.

The Sixers' top four batters were all caught on the boundary trying to clear the rope and they managed only three sixes in the entire innings, despite the earlier match yielding 16 in total.

The Renegades remain in sixth spot, level on points with the Brisbane in fifth, but the Heat, Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers each have a game in hand.

The win moves the Sixers within three points of cross-town rivals the Thunder (second on the BBL|11 table), who they next play in the Sydney Smash on Saturday night at the SCG.

The Renegades have a day off before facing the Stars in the Melbourne derby at Marvel Stadium.