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Chennai might miss out on hosting the IPL 2019 final if the long-standing issue over the three closed stands at MA Chidambaram Stadium remains unresolved. In case the stands remain locked, then the BCCI has kept Hyderabad (home to last season’s losing finalists Sunrisers) and Bengaluru as back-ups to host the four play-off matches – Hyderabad will then most likely host Qualifier 1 and the final, with Qualifier 2 and the Eliminator taking place in Bengaluru.The issue was discussed by the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the IPL management on Monday, and it was decided to allow Chennai Super Kings a few more days to try and find a solution to the problem.Super Kings, as defending champions, have the right to host the final at their home base, and are expected to revert by end of this week after which a final call will be taken on the playoff venues.The stadium has hosted the IPL 2019 opener between Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore as well as two more games since then with the stands closed. However, the IPL Governing Council has been concerned about the bad optics the vacant stands present, especially on TV, for the marquee matches.”There are three stands that are locked. If they can’t clear the issue, we can’t have the finals there,” Vinod Rai, the CoA chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “Otherwise the fallback options are Hyderabad and Bangalore.”The Chennai corporation had closed the three stands – I, J and K, adding up to roughly 12,000 seats – in 2012 as there were discrepancies when the stadium was refurbished before the World Cup in 2011. Only once since then have they been opened to the public, after Tamil Nadu Cricket Association got special permission to do so for an India v Pakistan ODI in December 2012.Rai also said that the league phase of the women’s IPL exhibition matches would be played in Visakhapatnam, and the one-off play-off is likely to take place in Bengaluru. A final schedule would be released by the BCCI shortly.

Virat Kohli has quietened speculation over whether IPL franchises have been asked to “manage” the workloads of India players who are likely to be part of the World Cup squad, saying no instructions have been issued to cap the number of games a player would take part in.”You cannot put a cap on anything,” Kohli said in Bengaluru, at an event to launch a new app for Royal Challengers Bangalore, his IPL franchise. “If I’m able to play 10, 12 or 15 games, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the other guy can only play that many. My body might demand I play a certain number of games and I need to be smart about that and rest. Someone else’s body might be more capable than mine or less, that is a very individual thing. And everyone wants to play the World Cup, so people will be smart about it because you don’t want to miss out on such a big event.”Kohli emphasised that the responsibility for managing workloads lay with the players themselves.”From a responsibility point of view, all the Indian players will have the responsibility during the IPL to keep a watch on their fitness and their workloads,” he said. “And to continue the frame of mind we have created in the Indian team – strive towards excellence and improve every day. Each player will take this tournament as an opportunity to go to the World Cup in a good frame of mind.”While Kohli said it was left up to players when they would want to play or rest, Ashish Nehra, the former Indian bowler and joint coach of RCB, said playing in the IPL would give players an advantage leading up to the World Cup, and that prolonged rest before the tournament could be counterproductive.”If somebody tells Virat Kohli that you are not playing this IPL, come fresh for the World Cup, I don’t think it’s the right way,” Nehra said. “If he’s only practising, that practice is different [from match play]. The IPL is a pressure tournament, it is as good as international cricket, that’s why everybody wants to play. So you are going to the World Cup through that pressure. If I’m a bowler, I keep bowling yorkers or good-length balls, it’s the same thing I have to do in the World Cup.”There’s a three-week gap between the IPL final and India’s first game [at the World Cup]. If you’re not injured, three weeks is enough time. If someone tells me, ‘You bowl in the IPL final today and then for the next three weeks you don’t bowl, and then bowl straightaway against South Africa’ – I would not like to do that. Active rest is very important, not just for fast bowlers but for everyone.”It doesn’t matter how tired Virat Kohli is… he might stay away from the nets for maybe a week, or ten days at the most. The last 11 days, he will want to have seven-eight sessions. The more you play the better you get. I can understand if the IPL final is on the 12th and the first World Cup game is on the 16th, you might feel [Jasprit] Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] or Mohammed Shami [might need to be rested]. Some bowlers come up to me and say, ‘We are fresh; the more we play the better we feel.’ Some won’t say that. Everyone is different.”Gary Kirsten, RCB’s other coach, agreed with Nehra.”We do understand all the international players, apart from the Indians, will be called back to their internationals teams anyway through the IPL,” Kirsten said. “We have to accept there’s not much we can do about that. We understand the demands that an international player has. We’ll be very reasonable in that space.”And Ashish has made a good point: if you get yourself match-ready during the IPL, that’s going to hold you in really good stead during the World Cup. I think it’s an advantage to the Indian players, actually. Because the IPL is such a pressurised tournament, it’s great preparation for the World Cup.”

Shubman Gill is not getting opportunities to bat higher in the Kolkata Knight Riders line-up because the top and middle-order positions have been firmed up in favour of more experienced hands, their captain Dinesh Karthik explained. Karthik said that Gill did open once this season when their regular opener Chris Lynn was unwell, but otherwise he had to look at the team “as a whole and not just one bright kid on the block”.”I’ve been asked this a number of times… Look, we’ve made it clear to Shubman that, as and when opportunities arise, he will be sent up the order,” Karthik told the . “Shubman was promoted to open when Chris Lynn was unwell. He grabbed that chance and got 65. Now, when Lynn was available, we had to give him back his position. He’s done a lot for us and we have to show faith… Sunil Narine, for his part, stays as the other opener.”Question is whether we can bat Shubman at No. 3 or No. 4. Well, Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana have won us matches from those positions and, again, it’s a matter of showing faith. India is obsessed with novelties, and even I like novelties, but I have to look at Knight Riders as a whole and not just one bright kid on the block. I need to show faith in Shubman, yes, equally I have a responsibility to give Robin and Nitish enough opportunities. As the captain, I have to show faith… Is Shubman upset at going down the order? I don’t think so.”Gill made his IPL and T20 debut last year for Knight Riders and played 13 of their 16 matches. He impressed with his strokeplay and scored 203 runs at average of 33.83 and strike rate of 146.04. Apart from the odd chance in the top order, Gill batted three times at No. 6 and six times at No. 7 in IPL 2018 to play the finisher’s role. This season, too, he has batted three times at No. 6 and twice at No. 7 so far, and once each as an opener and No. 4 batsman.Gill was asked how he prepared for facing only six-odd balls when he bats at No. 7. “To face those six balls you have to practice at least 100 balls at nets,” he told . “If you practice less, you’ll lack confidence even to hit four out of those six balls. The mentality shouldn’t be to practice less just because you are going to face just those number of balls. So to make the most of those six balls, one must utilise their net sessions.”

Opener Philip Salt scored his second successive century to put Sussex in a good position on day one of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at Hove.Having made 122 against Northamptonshire last week, Welsh-born Salt reached the fourth hundred of his career in the final over of the day when he collected his 12th boundary courtesy of a bad mis-field by Charlie Hemphrey at mid-off.But two balls later Salt lost concentration and was caught behind cutting at Dan Douthwaite for 103, made off 105 balls with 12 fours and three sixes. Sussex were 208 for 5 at stumps, a lead of 22.Sussex have struggled to get good starts this season but Salt, who was called into England’s T20 squad earlier this month, gave the innings a solid platform by putting on 85 with Luke Wells in 15 overs.Wells reached 30 but failed to control his hook shot when Douthwaite dug one in short then Glamorgan took three wickets in ten balls to reduce Sussex to 126 for 4. Australian leg-spinner Marnus Labuschagne picked up Harry Finch and Stiaan van Zyl with his first two deliveries as Finch missed a long hop and van Zyl was beaten by a googly. Timm van der Gugten then returned to the attack to bowl Laurie Evans via an inside edge.But Sussex skipper Ben Brown, who also made a century last week, and Salt took Sussex into the lead with a stand of 82 in 17 overs.Salt wasn’t the only opener to prosper with Glamorgan’s Nick Selman carrying his bat for the second time in his career. The 23-year-old was left unbeaten on 76 when Glamorgan, who have only won once in the Championship at Hove since 1975, were dismissed for 186 in 55.2 overs.Sussex’s seamers dominated apart from a period either side of lunch when Selman and Graham Wagg added 72 in 22 overs for the seventh wicket. Wagg contributed 44 before he was caught behind to give Chris Jordan, who regularly got the ball to bounce disconcertingly off a good length,his third success.Jared Warner, who was making his first-class debut after joining on loan from Yorkshire, polished off the tail to finish with 3 for 35 leaving Selman, who passed 2,000 first-class runs when he reached six, high and dry.Glamorgan had won the toss but were soon struggling at 44 for 4 after Mir Hamza and David Wiese took two wickets each with the ball. Hamza’s late movement was too good for Hemphrey and David Lloyd while Wiese found some extra bounce to unseat Labuschagne before angling one across Billy Root’s defences.When Jordan replaced Wiese, he picked up Kieran Carlson with his sixth delivery and Glamorgan were 102 for 6 when Douthwaite was bowled via an inside edge. Wagg and Selman showed what was possible once the ball lost its initial hardness, but Salt ensured it was a tough day for the visitors.

Glamorgan 449 and 246 for 5 dec (Labuschagne 100, Selman 58) drew with Worcestershire 370 (D’Oliveira 103) and 143 for 1 (Ferguson 70*, Mitchell 64*)Marnus Labuschagne soon reached the ten runs he needed for his second century of the match and fifth of the Championship season, but Glamorgan’s meeting with Worcestershire crawled to a draw as the visitors made no attempt to chase down their target of 326 in 66 overs at Sophia Gardens.Worcestershire ended on 143 for 1 in glorious sunshine. Ever since the first morning when Joe Leach inserted Glamorgan, his team were on the back foot and, apart from Brett D’Oiveira’s splendid all-round performance, his team lacked confidence and will need to improve if they have any hopes of a return to Division One after this season.At tea, the visitors needed a further 219 from the remaining 34 overs, and with Glamorgan employing attacking fields and the explosive Rikki Wessels next in, there were hopes that Worcestershire might have a go, but the tactics remained unchanged and the supporters – some from over the border – began to drift away disappointed with what they had seen.Glamorgan had added 109 runs during the morning session and were 325 runs ahead at lunch when David Lloyd declared.Labuschagne failed to add to his hundred when he swept D’Oiveira to deep square leg, and after Nick Selman had completed two fifties in the game, and Lloyd went for 12, Dan Douthwaite struck a brisk 40 before departing shortly before lunch.Worcestershire lost Josh Dell for 1 in Lukas CareGlamorgan Head Coach Matthew Maynard said “I thought it was an excellent cricket wicket although it didn’t break up as much as I thought it would. I thought we had a chance, but Worcestershire weren’t interested which was a bit surprising as they had some quality batsmen to come.With five championship games to go we stand a good chance of promotion, but after Middlesex it will be all T20, and after that back to red ball cricket”.y’s second over, but Daryl Mitchell and Callum Ferguson soon settled into their productive partnership against a Glamorgan attack that had minimal assistance from a placid pitch.Ferguson reached his fifty from 75 balls, but Mitchell failed to show any attacking intent and faced 24 more balls than his partner to reach a painstaking fifty.Glamorgan gained 13 points from the game to remain unbeaten and stay in contention at the top of Division Two, while Worcestershire took 10 points ahead of next week’s game against Derbyshire at Kidderminster.Glamorgan head coach Matthew Maynard said: “I thought it was an excellent cricket wicket although it didn’t break up as much as I thought it would. I thought we had a chance, but Worcestershire weren’t interested, which was a bit surprising as they had some quality batsmen to come. With five Championship games to go we stand a good chance of promotion.”

Heather Knight moved to the top of the scoring charts, and Western Storm to the Kia Super League summit, as she lead her side to a nervy three-wicket victory over Southern Vipers.Storm and England skipper Knight has scored 129 runs in the KSL 2019 so far after scores of 41, 50 not out and 38 here. She added 71 with India star Smriti Mandhana for the second wicket, before Fran Wilson’s impeccable 40 off 30 balls took Storm above Vipers and Surrey Stars to the top of the table.Both sides had come into the clash unbeaten in their opening two KSL fixtures but Storm’s powerful batting line-up proved too strong in front of an almost 1500 strong crowd at the Ageas Bowl.Stafanie Taylor, Tammy Beaumont and Suzie Bates had given Vipers 142 defend, on the same pitch Somerset had smashed 202 on in the Vitality Blast on Friday night.In reply, Rachel Priest square cut Lauren Bell to the boundary before the fast bowler exacted her revenge by flattening the New Zealander’s leg stump with an inswinger next ball. Storm motored in the third over as Mandhana’s three boundaries helped take 16 runs off Bell, before Heather Knight slog-swept Taylor for six.Mandhana and Knight cruised past a fifty partnership, from just 32 balls but the stand ended on 71 as Tash Farrant returned to the attack. Left-armer Farrant found Mandhana swinging to fine leg before Knight was castled four balls later to break the game open again.But Sophie Luff and Wilson, who eased the pressure with a straight maximum, intelligently ticked off 58 of the remaining 66 runs before the former offered a simple catch to mid-off and Deepti Sharma was run out. With two needed off the last over, Wilson was lbw and Anya Shrubsole lbw to Bates before Sonia Odedra tip-toed Storm over the line with a ball to spare.Earlier, Tammy Beaumont decided to bat after winning the toss, but Vipers lost Danni Wyatt to the second ball of the match, when Claire Nicholas bowled her with a loopy yorker.Beaumont and Bates scored carefully in a 66-run stand for the second wicket, with the former the more attacking with a pair of sixes. Curiously the England star had only collected a single maximum in her first three KSL campaigns – she has seven now this year – although she fell attempting an eighth to the deep square rope.New Zealander Bates was finding timing more difficult, with two boundaries in her 38-ball 33, before she slapped to midwicket and Thea Brookes was caught behind.At 94 for 4 with just five overs remaining, Vipers needed a pick-me-up and Taylor’s boundary hitting and Maia Bouchier’s quick-running gave it to them. West Indian Taylor thrashed seven boundaries, including a pair of smartly struck sweeps and a beauty over mid-off, in her 44 not out off 28 balls.Bouchier was run out off the last ball as the hosts posted 142 for 5, to set-up a record chase in the KSL at the Ageas Bowl.

The war of words between the interim committee running Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and the ousted board has continued apace, and the divisions in the country’s cricket community are widening.On Monday, the interim committee running Zimbabwe Cricket issued a statement instructing all employees, apart from the board originallysuspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) last month, to report for work on Thursday or face “legal” and “disciplinary consequences”. Their statement appeared to be directed mainly at the administrative and logistical staff.On Tuesday, ZC struck back with a statement of their own, calling the interim committee’s release “condescending, reckless and inappropriate” and denying the legitimacy of the committee.While Zimbabwe’s contracted cricketers are also ZC employees and included in the committee’s initial directive, the national men’s squad is not actually in training at the moment and it is the domestic off-season. The women’s side, meanwhile, are currently in training, clinging to their hopes of making it to the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Scotland at the end of August. Their team manager has said they have not heard from the interim committee.This is not the first time that the SRC and the interim committee have tried to get ZC employees back to work. They had initially hoped for employees unaffected by the SRC’s sanctioning of Tavengwa Mukuhlani’s board to return to work by the end of June, but when this did not happen, SRC chairman Gerald Mlotshwa accused Mukuhlani of “sabotage” and of orchestrating the stay-away. Since then, ZC’s offices have remained empty, although a few press releases reflecting the standpoint of the ousted board have been issued through the usual channels.The interim committee’s statement marked their first official public communication. It called the releases that have been issued through ZC’s channels “fraudulent”, unless they bore the signature of interim managing director Vince Hogg, or that of Dave Ellman-Brown, the interim committee’s chairman.”Employees and the public are advised to ignore fraudulent press releases purporting to emanate from Zimbabwe Cricket,” the committee’s statement read. “No such press release has any legal authority unless it bears the undersigned’s signature or the Signature of Chairman of the Interim Committee.”ZC’s response held little back. “We would like to make it very clear to Mr Hogg and the interim committee that appointed him that no amount of threats will cow us into submitting to an administration without legitimacy,” read ZC’s statement.”Our position is clearly informed by the fact that the International Cricket Council (ICC), the supreme custodian of the game of cricket, does not recognise the interim committee,” ZC’s statement continued, going on to emphasize the ICC’s directive to reinstate Mukuhlani’s board if Zimbabwe want the suspension to be lifted.”In the meantime, as players and staff we refuse to be used as pawns in the interim committee’s power grab scheme,” concluded the ZC statement which had ostensibly been drawn up during a “consultative meeting” between players and ZC staff in Harare on Tuesday.Yet it seems that the playing body at large is not fully united behind the board in their battle against the interim committee and the SRC. Most players are seeking not to get drawn into either side’s corner and simply want to be allowed to play cricket again.ESPNcricinfo spoke to several Zimbabwean cricketers on Tuesday evening, most of whom did not attend any meeting – or even invited – and weren’t consulted before ZC’s statement was released. Many did not back ZC’s statement attacking the interim committee, but some did. One invited player who said they couldn’t attend, but did agree with the sentiments of ZC’s statement. Some simply did not respond to requests for comment, even on condition of anonymity.There are clearly strong differences of opinion forming and while battle lines continue to be drawn and the stalemate between ZC and the interim committee continues, the collateral damage is mounting up.Four members of the women’s side have been stopped from taking part in the Global Development Squad fixtures, and Zimbabwe’s participation in either of the T20 World Cup Qualifiers hangs by the thinnest of threads – indeed, under suspension they simply cannot take part.Furthermore, Langton Rusere, who last year made history when he became the first Zimbabwean umpire to stand in the final of a major global cricket tournament at the Women’s World T20 final has now been barred from officiating during the upcoming West Indies v India series, having originally been part of the umpiring panel.

Heather Knight paid credit to her Western Storm side’s batting depth after Deepti Sharma’s crucial unbeaten 39 from 22 balls from No. 6 lifted them over the line in a nail-biting run chase against Southern Vipers at Hove.Sharma came in with Storm needing 70 off 7.3 overs after prolific openers Smriti Mandhana and Rachel Priest had fallen early, but struck seven boundaries in her cameo in the middle to support Knight – who made 78 not out – as they chased down their target with an over to spare.”We’ve had people throughout the order play brilliantly throughout the competition,” Knight said. “Fran Wilson and Sophie Luff have been outstanding for us this year, and Deepti has had some really good cameos, even though she hasn’t had to bat too much.”I’m really delighted with how we’ve gone. The two at the top [Mandhana and Priest] obviously have a job to try and score quickly and sometimes that doesn’t pay off so we’ve got the middle order to patch that up if that does happen.”Also read: Knight leads Storm to title with unbeaten 78 against VipersVipers captain Tammy Beaumont suggested that while her side’s middle order had chipped in throughout the tournament, the difference in batting depth was ultimately the difference between the sides.”Yeah definitely, you look at them – they’ve got seven international players, and we’re kind of lacking that a little bit in our team,” she said.”Full credit to the girls, they’ve all stepped up at different times. Amanda Wellington has played some gems of innings for us at five or six, and so have Fi Morris and Paige Scholfield, so that’s just the way it is. But yeah, of course – having someone of the class of Deepti is maybe a little bit of a difference there.”The contrast with the Vipers – who were 134 for 1 after 14 overs, but lost six wickets for 38 runs in the final six overs – was clear, and Knight paid credit to her side’s decision to sign a full quota of overseas players that would be available for Finals Day, which contrasted with the other two sides.”Trevor Griffin has been amazing, putting the squad together,” she said. “No-one works harder as a coach than him in the early summer going to see players play in county cricket, and stuff like that, and assembling the best squad we could.”We made the decision to go with an overseas [player] that was going to be available for the final, because obviously we lost Smriti last year. It was sad to let Stafanie [Taylor] go but obviously she wasn’t available for today, and Deepti’s been outstanding for us, and obviously we had that little bit of extra depth which was nice.”With Danni Wyatt, who was confirmed as player of the tournament after the final, striking the ball cleanly, the Vipers had been set for a total far in advance of the 172 they ended up with, and Knight credited her seamers with dragging things back in their favour.”I thought they were on for 200-plus at one point, the way Tammy and Danni were going there in the middle,” Knight said. “It was a really good track, really hard to defend or stop the flow of runs when players were going like that.”We bowled outstandingly – Freya [Davies] and Anya [Shrubsole] in particular pulled it back nicely, managed to pick up a few wickets and I thought 170 was going to be really tough to chase, but we knew it was probably within our grasp.”We’ve chased some really good totals over the past couple of years, and we’ve somehow found a way to win a lot this season in tricky situations, so to do that, with the belief we’ve had, we knew that if one batter was there at the end we were in with a good chance. [I’m] delighted it was me, and happy to pick up the trophy.”

Australia fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has been ruled out of action indefinitely due to ongoing back issues as he considers all options including the same lower spine surgery that James Pattinson underwent to prolong his career.Behrendorff, the 29-year-old left-armer from Western Australia, was forced home from a short stint with Sussex in the T20 Blast in England in late August after experiencing some back soreness and scans confirmed it was connected to the repeated stress fractures he has suffered in the past. He had been managing his back problems over the past couple of years, which included stepping away from first-class cricket completely to play limited-overs only.He will miss the Marsh One-Day Cup and the Western Australia and Cricket Australia medical staff are considering all options, which includes exploring surgery as well as just an extended rest before the BBL. ESPNcricinfo understands Behrendorff is set to speak to both Pattinson and former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond about the spine surgery both men had to fix similar issues.If surgery is a more viable option Behrendorff could head to New Zealand soon to consult with Christchurch-based surgeon Grahame Inglis, who performed the surgery on both Bond and Pattinson, to see whether he can undergo the procedure that could help prolong his career and potentially get him back playing all three formats. The recovery time for such surgery would be between nine and 12 months and next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October 2020 would be factored into the equation as to whether surgery is the correct route.Bond, who was Behrendorff’s bowling coach at the Mumbai Indians during this year’s IPL, first had the surgery in New Zealand in 2004 and it extended his career by six years. The surgery involves fusing screws and a titanium cable into the lower spine to stabilise the stress fracture which would not heal conventionally.Pattinson had the same surgery in New Zealand in 2017, having also consulted with Bond, as a last resort after fears his career might end prematurely aged 27. He has made a remarkable recovery to play Test cricket again for Australia, featuring in the recent Ashes series having last played Test cricket in 2016.New Zealand paceman Matt Henry, who was a key contributor to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign, also had the same surgery in 2012.Behrendorff, who is the same age as Pattinson, has not played a first-class game since November 2017. After a lengthy recovery he made the decision to step away from long-form cricket to manage his workloads. After a successful time in Australia’s ODI and T20 teams last summer he was selected in the World Cup squad and took 5 for 44 against England at Lord’s.Behrendorff does have an excellent first-class record for Western Australia having taken 126 wickets at an average of 23.85. He took 40 wickets in the 2013-14 Sheffield Shield season and was named Australia’s domestic player of the year in January 2015. He claimed a career-best 14 for 89 against Victoria in 2017 including 9 for 37 in the first innings.

South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp took a hat-trick to set up a big win for the Sydney Sixers over the Melbourne Stars at Hurstville Oval. Kapp bowled Madeline Penna and Nicola Hancock before trapping Holly Ferling lbw to complete her three-in-three as she claimed overall figures of 3 for 16. There was a strong South Africa flavour to the first half of the match as Mignon du Preez (44) top-scored for the Stars while Dane van Niekerk struck with her first delivery and collected 2 for 18 in her first appearance of the season for the Sixers. The chase was completed with nearly three overs to spare as Ellyse Perry eased to an unbeaten 39.The Adelaide Strikers dug deep to defend 113 against the Hobart Hurricanes at Allan Border Field. It came down to the Hurricanes needing five off two balls with Nicola Carey, whose 39 was the highest score of the match, on strike against Sophie Devine. Carey connected well into the leg side, but didn’t quite have the distance to get over Katie Mack who took a well-judged catch near the rope. Legspinner Amanda Jade-Wellington, who received an on-ground wedding proposal last week, took two key wickets including an excellent delivery to remove Fran Wilson. In the first innings, Australia quick Tayla Vlaeminck had stood out with a rapid display as she claimed 2 for 18, but in the end Sarah Coyte’s late surge to hit 24 off 13 balls where most others struggled to hit a run-a-ball proved vital.Amy Jones and Meg Lanning almost beat their own record in a commanding opening stand against defending champions Brisbane Heat as Perth Scorchers cantered to a nine-wicket in the second game of the day at Allan Border Field. Jones (60*) and Lanning (56) added 129 for the first wicket and had looked set to earn the win themselves which would have overhauled their 144-run stand against the Adelaide Strikers last season as the record in a 10-wicket chase. Beth Mooney had led the Heat’s innings with 67 off 55 balls but after Maddy Green fell at the end of the 15th over the last five overs brought just 40 runs.Hannah Darlington pulled off a crucial final-ball catch to deny Jess Duffin who had played a terrific captain’s innings of 69 which almost carried the Melbourne Renegades to victory over the Sydney Thunder at Blacktown. Duffin and Courtney Webb (32) added 88 for the fifth wicket after the Renegades had fallen to 4 for 25 chasing 133. It came down to 15 needed off the last over bowled by Rene Farrell and then four off the last with Duffin on strike but she could only loft the ball in the air towards long-off where Darlington took an excellent catch.