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Marsh re-signs, Renegades reject 'development side' tag

The BBL's sixth all-time leading run scorer has re-signed with the Renegades as their general manager promises to ' aggressively seek improvement' to avoid a fourth straight wooden spoon

Big Bash battlers the Melbourne Renegades have secured veteran batter Shaun Marsh for another two seasons as the club's general manager promises changes to avoid a fourth consecutive wooden spoon.

The left-hander – who is the competition's sixth all-time leading run scorer with 2,398 at 39.96 – will be 40-years old by the time the new deal expires at the end of BBL|13.

Marsh missed the first half of the recently-concluded KFC BBL season with a calf injury before returning to score 202 runs in the final seven matches and feature in two of their three wins.

The 38-year-old's signature is a huge boost for the Renegades and their stated objective to play finals next season as Marsh has proven to be one of the competition's most consistent performers with the highest average of the competition’s top 30 all-time run scorers.

Marsh joins captain Nic Maddinson and wicketkeeper Sam Harper as players committed to the Renegades until the end of BBL|13, while fast bowler Kane Richardson has three years remaining on his monster deal.

Australia's T20 captain Aaron Finch, veteran quick James Pattinson, young guns Zak Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mackenzie Harvey, and coach David Saker are signed until the end of BBL|12.

Marsh said he was determined to deliver success over the next two seasons for fans who had stuck by the Renegades during their three straight bottom-of-the-table finishes.

"There's a big challenge ahead of us, but we have we have a close-knit group of players and coaches who are united in the belief that we can turn things around next season," he said.

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Marsh is the first re-signing to be announced by the Renegades, with Marcus Harris, Josh Lalor, Mitch Perry, Jack Prestwidge and Will Sutherland also off contract at the end of BBL|11.

Leg-spinner and fan favourite Cameron Boyce was already delisted ahead of their final of the season, only for him to take four wickets in four balls and create BBL history as the first bowler to do so.

General Manager James Rosengarten penned a letter to members earlier this week where he promised to "aggressively seek improvement".

"A detailed review has already been completed that outlines what needs to change for the Renegades to play finals next season – and this is certainly our clear objective," he wrote.

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"Public comments around the Renegades being a ‘development side’ or the equivalent couldn’t be further from the truth.

"Yes, we are excited about the young talent on our list, but we are determined to achieve success here and now."

The Renegades have lost 31 of their past 42 games since winning the title in BBL|08.

Rosengarten flagged personnel changes to reshape the Renegades list to "focus on immediate impact on BBL games" and a different approach to recruiting overseas players.

"Our recruitment of overseas players simply has not delivered the outcomes we need in recent seasons, and this significantly impacts wins and losses … we already have a plan in place to make this a success in BBL|12," he said.

"With Shaun now signed up alongside the likes of Aaron Finch, Kane Richardson and Nic Maddinson, this provides us with a core group of senior players to reshape our list around for BBL|12 and beyond."