Brisbane, Dec 19 (IANS) Brisbane Heat produced a night for the history books at the Gabba, pulling off the highest successful run chase in Big Bash League (BBL) history as they hunted down a target of 258 to beat Perth Scorchers with a ball to spare on Friday night.

The Heat finished their innings on 258/2, chasing 257, capping an incredible eight-wicket victory that will go down in league history as one of the best.

Matt Renshaw and Jack Wildermuth put together a record-breaking 212-run partnership, marking the first time in T20 cricket history that two batters scored hundreds in the same run chase. In a Friday night blitz at the Gabba, Brisbane defeated Perth’s 257 in front of 24,277 spectators, defying the rules of the short format.

Renshaw (102 off 51 balls) and Wildermuth (110 not out off 54) recorded the highest partnership in a BBL match, and a record 36 sixes were hit throughout the game.

The Perth Scorchers had earlier put on their own record-breaking performance. They chose to bat and amassed the second-highest total in BBL history, 257/6. Cooper Connolly scored 77 off 37 balls after Finn Allen smashed 79 off 38 balls, adding 142 runs in a vicious attack that included 14 sixes between them.

The final touch came from Nick Hobson’s unbeaten 48, giving Brisbane a formidable target. Xavier Bartlett took two wickets despite going at 11 runs per over, while Shaheen Afridi had a tough night, giving up 49 runs.

Brisbane’s chase got off to the worst possible start when Jhye Richardson dismissed captain Colin Munro for a golden duck off the first ball. What followed was an extraordinary counterattack from Renshaw and Wildermuth from the outset, keeping the required rate in check as the partnership grew rapidly. Before being run out late in the innings, Renshaw hit nine sixes to reach his century in 48 balls.

Wildermuth persevered and finished unbeaten on 110, clearing the ropes nine times and hitting five fours to finish one of the most memorable chases in T2O history.

The night saw several records tumble: the highest successful chase in the BBL and the 3rd highest in T20s, the most number of sixes in a game, the highest partnership in a match, the first time two tons were scored in a game, and the first time in a T20 chase where two batters made centuries.

Brief scores:

Perth Scorchers 257/6 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 79, Cooper Connolly 77; Xavier Bartlett 2-44) lost to Brisbane Heat 258/2 in 19.5 overs (Jack Wildermuth 110*, Matt Renshaw 102) by eight wickets

–IANS

hs/bsk/