Six-hitting New Zealand import Tim Seifert may have swung himself into a side injury.
The Melbourne Renegades opened their BBL account in destructive style on the back of a blistering 53-ball ton from the second year Kiwi against the Brisbane Heat on Monday night in Geelong, laced with six maximums.
However, it might have come at some cost with Seifert unable to field during the Heat’s innings due to side soreness.
Sent in to bat, the home team posted a monster score of 5-212 at Kardinia Park on the back of the 31-year-old’s 56-ball 102 and a rapid 59 from 29 rocks from local teenager Ollie Peake.
It was a belated birthday present for the Kiwi international who turned 31 on Sunday.
After falling to 6-108 after 13 overs, the Heat’s chase looked dead and buried before some late hitting from Jimmy Pierson (50 off 22 balls) and Hugh Weibgen (38 off 20 balls) made things interesting with a rapid 78-run stand in just 35 balls.
Gurinder Sandhu managed to limit the damage in the final over to ensure a 14-run victory while Will Sutherland (3-33) and Behrendorff (2-34) put in tidy shifts.
But it was a major anticlimax for Pakistani teammates Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi on BBL debut with the Renegades and Heat respectively.
The keeper-batter battled for a 10-ball four and the opening quick removed from the attack midway through his third over after a series of waist-high no balls.
The Heat was always going to need everything to go right to win but lost two wickets early, including Nathan McSweeney via a brilliant piece of work from Hassan Khan with a direct hit.
Big Bash veteran Colin Munro gave his team a pulse but the result felt elementary after his departure for 55 off 32 balls.
PEAKE PERFECTION
South Barwon teenager Ollie Peake came full circle on Monday night.
After learning his craft at the Swans and then the Geelong Cricket Club just outside the stadium, the 19-year-old played his first BBL match at GMHBA against the Heat.
It’s been a life-changing 2025 for Peake, who made his BBL, first class and List A debuts by mid-July this year.
On Monday night, Peake came in at number five after the departure of big name, heavy hitters of Josh Brown, Muhammad Rizwan and Jake Fraser-McGurk.
After that trio departed with minimal damage, Peake would open his innings cleverly with singles to give Seifert the strike.
However, he quickly began to emulate his Kiwi teammate, pulling Shaheen Shah Afridi to the square leg boundary with absolute class to get going, then a further two fours off Xavier Bartlett in the 14th over.
“He’s just played sensible shots … excellent batting from the young under-19 captain,” McGain said, who found comparisons with Allan Border after a ferocious cut shot.
“I think he’s showed enough to say he is the future.”
A magnificent six over long on off Paddy Dooley, taking the score to 150 in the 15th over, was perhaps the pick of the lot, before dropping Wildermuth over the rope at mid-wicket.
To add insult to injury, Heat keeper Jimmy Pierson dropped Peake a few balls later in the over.
Peake, who was part of the national fold during a Test tour of Sri Lanka this year, would finish with 59 off 29 deliveries in a statement innings.
He would then take a catch at deep mid-wicket off Jason Behrendorff to send Max Bryant packing.
With the GMHBA Stadium turf to be reconstructed early next year, the 19-year-old might want to take a slice home with himself after Sunday’s match against the Hurricanes.
Battle of the Pakistani superstars an anti-climax
Pakistani international teammates Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi faced off with their new franchises of the Melbourne Renegades and the Brisbane Heat respectively.
But it was a total anticlimax.
With two keepers in the Gades squad – Rizwan and New Zealand national gloveman Tim Seifert – it was the Pakistan excitement machine who had first dibs at keeping duties with the Kiwi off the ground with side soreness during the Heat’s innings.
“He packs a punch, he’s full of energy,” Renegades captain Will Sutherland said of Rizwan after the bat flip.
However, Rizwan couldn’t get going with the blade.
Coming in at first drop, Rizwan was beaten by a Xavier Bartlett beauty straight up and took five deliveries to get off the mark, eventually caught by Max Bryant at deep square leg off Dooley.
Fortunately, it only took five balls into the Heat’s innings before he snaffled his first catch after Jason Behrendorff caught the edge of Jack Wildermuth.
Meanwhile, Afridi struggled and was removed from the attack midway through his third due to a series of waist-high no balls, finishing with the ugly figures of 0-45 off just 2.4 overs.
