Hosein shines with ball, Russell with bat as Melbourne Renegades beat Brisbane Heat by 22 runs
Hosein took 3-15 in helping restrict Brisbane Heat to 144-6 in search of Melbourne Renegades’ 166-7 from their respective 20 overs. Russell, meanwhile, smashed 35 that set up Renegades’ match-winning score.
After Brisbane Heat’s captain Jimmy Pearson won the toss and chose to field, Renegades’ openers Nic Maddinson and Sam Harper got off to a flyer scoring 65 at better than 10 runs an over before Harper was dismissed for 21 in the seventh over by James Bazley, who took 2-19 in the match.
From 65-1, Melbourne slipped to 78-4 by the 10th over before Maddinson and Russell carved out a fifth-wicket partnership of 78 before the former was dismissed by Matthew Kuhnemann in the 18th over for 87.
Hosein barely troubled the scorers and was out for one to Bazley’s final ball of the 19th that yielded only three runs as Melbourne struggled to close out on a high. Russell lost his wicket off the first ball of the 20th leaving Melbourne to limp towards their total of 166.
Kuhnemann was the best of the Brisbane bowlers with 3-32.
Hosein struck almost immediately in the Brisbane chase removing openers Josh Brown for seven and Max Brian for a duck as the Heat struggled early on 11-2 in the third over.
Russell dismissed the dangerous Sam Billings for six in the seventh over to have the Heat in further trouble at 34-3.
However, Colin Munro and Jimmy Pearson set about a recovery putting together a fourth-wicket partnership of 54 that was broken when Munro was run out for 35.
Hosein delivered another crucial blow when he bowled Pearson for 43 in the 15th over with the Heat still needing from 33 balls for victory.
Ross Whitely and Bazley added 41 for the sixth wicket but were unable to score at the required rate. Bazley was out off the final ball of the match for 19, leaving Whitely unbeaten on 28 from 18 balls.
Russell returned figures of 1-26.
The win means Melbourne Renegades is among the early leaders along with Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder, each team having two points from their opening matches of the season.