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Karnataka‘s quest of defending the Vijay Hazare Trophy took a body blow as Jharkhand outclassed them by 47 runs. MS Dhoni, who promoted himself to No. 3, made just 1 but Jharkhand were driven forward by contributions from Ishank Jaggi (50), Saurabh Tiwary (43) and Kumar Deobrat (47*). But vital strikes from J Suchith, the left-arm spinner who finished with 4 for 35, meant Jharkhand were restricted to 216 for 8.Karnataka’s chase hit rough waters very quickly as they were reduced to 52 for 3 by the 12th over. KL Rahul held one end up, with his 41-run stand with Karun Nair briefly resisting Jharkhand. But Rahul’s dismissal for an 84-ball 42 resulted in lower-order meltdown. An injury to Stuart Binny didn’t help matters either as he walked out to bat at No. 10. Karnataka were eventually bowled out for 169 in 45 overs with Suchith being the last to fall for 34. The left-arm spinners – Sonu Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem – picked up three wickets apiece as Jharkhand registered their fourth win in five matches to put themselves in a good position to qualify for the knockouts.Gujarat derailed Haryana‘s campaign with a 28-run win that was powered by Rush Kalaria, the left-arm seamer, who picked up four wickets. Haryana somewhat justified their decision to bowl first by striking regularly, but Gujarat managed to pull away and post 259, with knocks from Parthiv Patel (45) and Rujul Bhatt (55). Amit Mishra, the Haryana captain, picked up three wickets, while Harshal Patel and Ashish Hooda had two wickets apiece.Haryana stumbled in their chase to lose half the side inside 100 runs, with RP Singh accounting for the the accomplished Jayant Yadav and Rohit Sharma. Kalaria then sliced through the lower order as Haryana were bowled out for 231 off the penultimate ball of the match. Poonish Mehta’s 57 lower down the order proved to be scant consolation for Haryana, who have now lost three out of their five matches.Karn Sharma delivered an all-round performance to help Railways beat Jammu & Kashmir by 43 runs in a low-scoring game to keep their hopes alive of making it through to the knockouts. Karn, the captain, top-scored with 60 in Railways’ 200 all out, with Waseem Raza, the left-arm spinner, taking 4 for 31. Ian Dev Singh waged a lone battle for J&K with an 83-ball 60 even as the batting collapsed around him. J&K were bowled out for 157 in 43.5 overs, completing their fourth successive loss in the tournament.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:38

Farrell: Test was decided on the first two days

Emphatic doesn’t quite do it justice. Unrelenting throughout, Australia put on another exhibition of high quality bowling to seal a vast victory over New Zealand and place one hand on the ICC Mace awarded to the world’s No. 1 Test team. A deflating result for the visitors in Brendon McCullum’s 100th Test was only a tail-end flurry short of New Zealand’s heaviest ever loss at home to Australia.Having set up the match with expert use of seaming early conditions on the first morning, Australia’s bowlers asked quite different questions on the fourth morning. Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird all used reverse swing to good effect, while Nathan Lyon homed in on a footmark outside the right-handers’ off stump to gain sharp spin. The absence of Peter Siddle, resting a back complaint, was well compensated for.Steven Smith will be a most contented captain, having overseen a performance in which many questions about this team have been answered. They chose the right XI for the conditions, they bowled impressively, and most importantly batted with command even after Joe Burns and David Warner were out cheaply with the ball still new on day one. New Zealand will be left to wonder over the significance of the “no-ball” that reprieved Adam Voges early.Henry Nicholls endured longest for the hosts, on the way to making the highest score by a New Zealand debutant batting at No. 4. But his dismissal on 59 by Bird left the tail exposed to the bounce and conventional swing of the second new ball. Southee and Trent Boult entertained another strong Basin Reserve crowd with a late flurry against Lyon, but it was merely a parting shot.Having lost McCullum from the last ball of day three, New Zealand’s chances of survival were slim, and they narrowed further when the 63-over old ball began bending in both directions. Corey Anderson struggled with the ball moving away from him around the wicket, but after a few play and misses Smith directed Marsh to go over the wicket and try to straighten one down the line.Two balls into the tactic, Marsh pitched one in line and swung it back to pin Anderson in front. Like McCullum he reviewed, but it was a futile gesture for a delivery crashing into middle and leg.BJ Watling arrived and his first ball from Lyon hit the aforementioned footmark and narrowly missed spinning back to strike the off stump with the batsman offering no shot. Lyon took note of this, and it was not long before he delivered a slightly flatter delivery on the same line that had Watling playing back, fatally. The turning ball was through him in an instant.Nicholls had absorbed all this pressure, but Bird’s decision to send one down at a full length made the difference, coaxing the batsman into a flick across the line. Again there was some swing, and the ball flicked off the pads into the stumps. At this, the Australians took the second new ball, and a Hazlewood lbw review against Doug Bracewell was declined due to a lack of conclusive evidence before the interval.Hazlewood had his due reward soon after resumption, when Bracewell was struck in front: this time there was no bat to confuse the issue. Southee’s blows dented Lyon’s figures somewhat, but the bowler was content to keep tossing it up in expectation of a miscue, which was exactly what happened.Mark Craig and Boult entertained for a time also, but in playing so freely they did nothing so much as underline how well the Australians had bowled to the batsmen. A match over in fewer than four days had taken place on a pitch that would still be good for batting on day five. In pursuit of Test cricket’s top perch, Smith’s men had played to a very high standard indeed.

South Africa has tied the inaugural Super Challenge 2000 series at Melbourne’s Colonial Stadium at one match apiece with a eight run win in the third and final match of what has proved to be a very innovative and enjoyable series.There were several heroes for the visitors, in particular the underrated left arm spinner Nicky Boje, who took 2/29 from ten overs of very accurate left arm spin and was awarded the Man of Series award. He proved difficult to get away in the mid to latter stages of the match and along with skipper Shaun Pollock (2/36 off eight) did some valuable damage during the run chase. Pollock proved again his great ability with the new ball getting the first two wickets while Adam Gilchrist (63 off 67 balls) powered away in the opening stages of Australia’s innings.Curiously right at the death Andrew Hall, who kept very well in the absence of the finger knife slicing Mark Boucher, was called up to bowl the second last over, with 22 needed. He started with a nervous wide but held up well under the pressure to concede only eight off the over and this left the Aussies needing 14 off the last.Jacques Kallis took the ball and after a smiling conversation involving he and skipper Pollock, South Africa wrapped up the match with a bit to spare.Earlier, South Africa were in desperate trouble at 4/19 in the seventh over, after great opening spells by Glenn McGrath (3/26 off ten overs) and Brett Lee (3/56 off ten).McGrath was first to strike, finding the edge of Andrew Hall’s (1) bat and Mark Waugh accepted the hot head high chance at second slip.At the Latrobe Street end, Brett Lee, who started to find his rhythm after an early speight of no balls, struck twice in his third over, having Kallis edge a lifting ball through to Gilchrist for three and then Daryl Cullinan went, bowled between bat and pad by a very sharp in dipper for a fourth ball duck. The veteran right-hander will come away from his Colonial Stadium experience was little fondness for it after a pair of noughts in the last two matches. South Africa were now 3/19 as Neil McKenzie walked out to join the experienced Kirsten.McGrath knocked over Kirsten (9) thanks again to the safe hands of Mark Waugh at second slip and at 4/19 the 15,000 odd that had bothered to make it for the 10am start were facing a free afternoon.South Africa have come from the depths of these positions before to win matches and today the men who rose to the challenge with the bat were Neil McKenzie (45) and Lance Klusener (49) who added 98 for the fifth wicket in 26 overs. They were the initial heroes with the bat, with Shaun Pollack (34) and Nicky Boje (28 off 28 balls) ensuring South Africa got past 200 after falling to 7/150 in the 43rd over after the initial recovery. The pair added an unbeaten 56 in seven and a half overs and with the Australians slow in bowling their overs and subsequently having their innings reduced to 48 overs, the South African total reached a level of respectability.This reduction to 48 overs was a real surprise, given the fairly liberal interpretation of the rule in the previous two matches.In Game one, South Africa were 21 minutes over time and on Friday Australia were around a quarter of an hour but neither were penalised in any way. Admittedly though on Wednesday, South Africa’s bowlers were continually cleaning their sprigs giving the damp nature of the surface.In the Australian reply, Shaun Pollock picked up the first wicket, with a fairly straight ball which Mark Waugh played around as he came forward to drive. Waugh went for a single and Australia were 1/21 in the seventh over.Adam Gilchrist was making the job of batting look very easy as he opened his shoulders to eventually hit nine fours and a pulled six over square leg off Roger TelemachusRicky Ponting would have been disappointed with his dismissal as he played an impatient shot which brought about his downfall, attempting to loft Pollock over the on-side on the up. The result – a catch to Makhaya Ntini at mid on and Australia were now tottering a little at 2/31.Gilchrist continued to make batting look easy but his batting partner Michael Bevan was doing anything but, as he struggled to find a gap in the field with thirteen balls being needed before he could get off the mark.Gilchrist’s entertaining hand came to an end on 63 in the 20th over as he attempted a pull shot off Ntini and top edged it as high and as close as any ball had been near the roof, to be caught by Neil McKenzie at backward point.Ntini, who had been working up some pace during his first spell, struck the Aussie skipper Steve Waugh on the left arm with his next ball which was a sharp, rising delivery. Waugh rubbed his arm vigourously and Ntini returned to the top of his bowling mark, intent to try and put his side on top in the match.The eventual loss of the Australian captain, was a big blow for South Africa, as Waugh lofted Lance Klusener to mid off after making 17 and in the 29th over Australia were reduced to 4/114.Bevan had now started to find the gaps but when he reached 33 off 80 balls, he was brilliantly run out by Neil McKenzie from backward point in the 35th over and Australia now needed right on a run a ball if they were to win the match and clinch this series.Shane Warne was elevated up the order and lofted a few deliveries to various points of the arena without being able to pick up a boundary.Damien Martyn eased the tension somewhat as he found the first boundary for nine overs by charging and lofting South African skipper over mid wicket to the fence but in the 38th over Warne attempted to take on Nicky Boje and holed out to a great catch by Gary Kirsten at a widish long-on for seven.Shane Lee played rebustly as the run rate required found its way to over six and he and Damien Martyn added 28 in six overs before Lee hoisted a ball to deep mid wicket where a good catch was taken by Neil McKenzie, Australia were 7/171.What eventually broke the back of the chase was the demise of Damien Martyn, who after making 31 off 42 balls, was bowled by a Telemachus yorker in the 45th over at 8/176, this left Australia needing 31 off three and a half overs and this, unsurprisngly proved too much for the remaining batsmen.

The ICC has received a copy of the match referee’s report on the Kanpur pitch and is now waiting for a response from the Indian board on the same. But the BCCI played down the issue of what Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, called a “poor cricket wicket”.”It’s a normal process where the match referee submits a pitch report to the ICC at the end of the match, a copy of which is also given to the board,” said Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s chief administrative officer.South Africa beat India by an innings and 90 runs in Ahmedabad on a bouncy track but lost the Kanpur Test by eight wickets after their batting line-up crumbled on an under-prepared surface. Both matches ended in three days.”This is not the first time that a match ended in three days,” Shetty said. “Definitely there were suggestions for some corrective measures but I don’t think it was a notice to the BCCI.”Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said a letter had been sent to the BCCI seeking an explanation on the pitch.

East London and Kimberley are in a battle to become the home cities for one of two new South African franchises while Potchefstroom may be the base for the other, as CSA looks to expand its domestic structure. An insider revealed to ESPNcricinfo that there is talk of increasing the number of franchises from six to eight in order to deepen the talent pool and create a larger professional structure.”It makes sense for Potchefstroom to have one of the franchises. They have such a good stadium there, all the facilities are within a small distance of each other and there’s a population that’s very interested in the game and all live just around the ground and university,” the source said. “There is obviously the political considerations and with CSA’s transformation agenda, putting a franchise in East London may be an option. With administrative issues there and between Kimberley and Bloemfontein, there may be a case for a separate franchise there too.”In 2004, South Africa revamped its domestic system in an attempt to create a strength versus strength structure, similar to Australia’s. The 11 provincial teams were contracted into six franchises, with each retaining their identity in the second-tier amateur competition. The function of the provinces is to feed players into the franchise system. It has since become semi-professional and grown to 13 teams.When the franchises were formed, not all the provincial sides were happy to merge. Border (based in East London), together with Eastern Province (Based in Port Elizabeth), became the Warriors, while Griquas (the Kimberley-based team) and Free State (in Bloemfontein) became the Eagles (now renamed the Knights). However, there as been history of infighting in both. At the Warriors, the argument was whether Port Elizabeth or East London would be considered the main host venue while Griquas initially refused to merge with Free State before agreeing to a joint shareholding of the franchise a season later.Both East London and Kimberley are considered hotbeds of talent for players of colour. East London is the heartland of black African cricket and with an increased focus on speeding up the pace of transformation, there have long been calls for a team based in the city. Peter Kirsten is one of the people who have long championed the cause for a team there. Kimberley has a significant population of mixed race people so it would make transformation sense for a team there as well.Potchefstroom, who are currently the second ground of the Johannesburg-based Lions, would not be able to offer those benefits but it does have some of the country’s best sports facilities at its High Performance Centre. Touring international teams, most notably Australia, choose to start the stay in South Africa at this venue while in 2010, the Football World Cup winners, Spain, were based there. Potchefstroom recently hosted the Varsity Cup Cricket, a week-long tournament between the country’s university teams. It is a venue known for jovial, student, sports-mad crowds, which may also work in its favour when CSA considers where to base a franchise.The new structure could come into place as early as next season, which would not give the new franchise teams much time to contract players and would also significantly increase the running costs of domestic cricket. “CSA needs to be very careful about this because even though they might have the money for it at the moment with the Rand-Dollar exchange rate, it’s a long-term decision,” the source said. “And with all the criticism over the strength of the domestic game, maybe it will dilute that even more.”Recent results across the international level has put the domestic system under severe scrutiny; South Africa’s Test team lost back to back series, the ODI side are two-nil down against England, the A team has lacked competitiveness and the Under-19s were booted out of the age-group World Cup in the first round. Everything, from the quality of coaches to the extent of the quota system which now requires franchise teams to field six players of colour including three black Africans, is currently being examined.

The grass on the Seddon Park surface promises plenty of seam movement, but it is swing through the air that may define the match, Kane Williamson has said. Significant grass cover remained on the pitch on the eve of the match, but Williamson, who plays for Northern Districts on this ground, suggested batsmen should be just as wary of swing, bounce and carry, as there may be less deviation off the deck than expected.”We’ve played on the surface a lot, and it always is green,” Williamson said. “In fact every surface we play on here starts very green. I think it will be a good cricket surface but if it swings, that’s when it offers more to the bowlers. We played a first-class game here a wee while back before Australia, and it was very green, but it was more the swing that did a lot.”If it’s hard underneath, that might add a bit of pace into the surface. I’m sure it will be pretty tough early on, and it might offer something throughout, with the hard new ball.”Williamson, who has played for Gloucestershire in the past, likened the surface to a county cricket pitch. He was wary of over-adapting to the conditions based on the look of the pitch alone.”The appearance of the pitch can be a distraction sometimes,” he said. “Like on a spinning wicket, sometimes it’s the straight ball that gets you out. It’s important to get your head around that philosophy on a seaming wicket. If you completely change your game, sometimes you overthink it.”We don’t know what it will do, but it reminds me of English conditions – especially if it swings here. In English county cricket those conditions are there day in and day out. You have to adjust your game slightly to best cope with it, but you will get good balls and that’s the nature of the game. Hopefully from our side’s perspective, if we apply ourselves I’m sure there are runs to be had out there.”Williamson was indifferent about his own outstanding returns in 2015, a year in which he averages 88.58, but did reveal he is currently playing with a finger injury. Williamson had fielded in his customary gully position only briefly during the second innings, and said there may be a break in his finger, but he hasn’t yet found out.”You get a few knocks on the fingers and when it doesn’t get hit, it settles a little bit and gets a bit less sensitive. It’s just quite sore. I don’t think many people play at 100% every day, and that’s the nature of professional sport.”New Zealand are one win or draw away from equaling their record 13 straight undefeated home Tests. Williamson said the team were not focused on that accolade. They were instead concentrating on Sri Lanka, whom he expected to present a tougher challenge in Hamilton, having now had more time to acclimatise in New Zealand.”The home streak is a good stat, but I suppose we keep bringing it back to one game at a time, and wanting to play our best cricket. We come here and focus on those short-term things. Hopefully the win looks after itself. It’s important we keep bringing it back to the basics.”I’m sure Sri Lanka would have learned a lot and it should be a good game.”

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has said the “romance” of signing off at home played a major role in his decision to quit all international formats at the end of the forthcoming Test series against Australia, in February. McCullum’s Test retirement has been talked about for some time, but he was expected to travel to the World T20 in India, in March and April.A Dunedin native originally, McCullum’s last international game will be the second Test against Australia in Christchurch – the city in which he and his family now live.”I think there’s something pretty romantic about finishing playing cricket in front of New Zealand crowds and in New Zealand grounds,” McCullum said. “Also we’ll be playing in Christchurch and Wellington – two of the most amazing grounds.”The Basin Reserve has the history and means a lot to New Zealanders. And Christchurch is now my established home. There’s a little bit of romance there. That was certainly the focus for me. I can steel myself for another couple of battles – ones which I look forward to.”McCullum has played through back problems for some time, but suggested the prospect of spending more time with family was a more significant factor in his decision. “My body has been sore for a while, but that’s just international sport. That’s not it. In the end the time has come and you’ve got to move on.”There’s a few things I’ve got on the go – a matter of three kids to deal with. Maybe I’ll put some time and effort back into them after selfishly chasing my dreams for the last decade or so.”New Zealand experienced a substantial resurgence in the years of McCullum’s captaincy, most recently matching their record streak for undefeated home Tests – 13. The team also had its most successful Test year in 2014, when they won five Tests, and reached the final of the World Cup in March.”This is definitely the best team that I’ve been involved in,” McCullum said. “We’ve got some outstanding players. We’ve got some freakish players as well. We’ve had a great home record. If you can be bloody tough to beat at home and you seek success away from home – then you start climbing up the rankings. That’s what we’ve done in the last couple of years.”I guess it’s up to other people to decide what sort of state you’ve left the team in. Hopefully I’ve left it in a better position than when I took it over.”New Zealand have also been known to espouse a team culture of sportsmanship and magnanimity during his years at the helm. McCullum credited the support his team enjoyed during this year’s World Cup partly to their improved public image.”The last 12 months or so, I’ve felt cricket is in a lot stronger place in people’s minds now than what it was a while ago. There’s a real feel-good factor from the fans and a real care about our team in how we go about our work. I think they look throughout the line up and the see not just good cricketers, but good kiwi blokes as well. That’s always nice to see from a fans’ perspective.”The World Cup just captivated New Zealand. The playing numbers and the support we’ve been able to build up because of the way we played in the World Cup should see some great crowds for us this summer. That’s exciting.”McCullum stopped short of endorsing Kane Williamson for the Test captaincy, but spoke effusively about Williamson’s virtues as a batsman. Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said Williamson’s appointment as captain for the World T20 campaign was the “only [captaincy] decision we need to make” at present, but Williamson appears the frontrunner to take the reins in the longer format also, assuming he wants the role.Williamson was occasionally seen setting fields during the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, and had also taken on greater responsibility in facing media, in that series.”Kane’s taken over in the past and he’s done a great job,” McCullum said. “I know he’s looking forward to the challenge of the T20 world cup.”He’s a genius. He’s going to hate me saying that. He’s no. 1 in the world – and there’s a lot of people in the world that pick up a bat and a pair of gloves. He’s right at the top. He’s a consummate professional, a champion feller, and he’s only 25. He’s going to be one of the best players the game’s ever seen in my opinion.”

Former West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh and renowned American fielding guru Mike Young have signed on to be a part of the coaching staff at the ICC Americas selection combine to be held at Indianapolis World Sports Park in September.”I’m really excited by this opportunity to help identify and work with some of the best talent in the Americas,” Walsh said in an ICC press release. “It’s great that the ICC and the WICB are working together on this initiative that can only help cricket develop in the region.”Applications for players who are eligible to play for countries within the ICC Americas region were due to close on Friday, but the deadline has been extended an additional week through to July 24. Up to 100 players from around the region will be invited to phase one of the combine from September 18, as they compete for spots in a regional squad to participate in the WICB 50-over domestic tournament next January.A select group of players from phase one will then be invited back to phase two from September 24, where they will join pre-selected players based on performances from the ICC Americas championship in May, and the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier currently taking place in Ireland and Scotland. After the conclusion of phase two, a final squad will be chosen and top-performing players may also receive invitations to trial for teams in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League.Walsh is currently a WICB selector and bowling coach for the Jamaica Tallawahs. In 2011, he served as tour manager for the West Indies U-19 team in Florida where they swept the USA U-19 team in a four-match 50-over series. Young, a Chicago native, has been a specialist fielding coach serving on and off with Australia for the last 14 years, including at the 2015 World Cup.

There has been no application by the British Virgin Islands for Affiliate membership of the ICC, despite some reports to that effect.”At its own expense, BVI atteneded the recent ICC Americas forum in Grand Cayman in order to find out more about the ICC Development Program and its member countries’ activities,” an ICC spokesman told Cricinfo.”BVI has indicated to ICC regional staff that it may possibly be interested in applying for individual membership of the ICC and has asked about the process if it did decide to take this path.”ICC regional staff have referred BVI back to the West Indies Cricket Board and advised that, like Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey before (which had ECB alignments), to become an individual member of ICC, BVI would need to cut all formal ties with WICB / its affiliates and any such application would need the support of WI as the region’s Full Member.”If BVI wanted to be considered for membership of the ICC at 2009 Annual Conference, it would need to apply by 31 December 2008.”A spokesman for the WICB said that while an informal question had been put to the board, nothing more than that had happened at this stage. “BVI is part of Leewards,” he said. “We can’t change that without acceptance at an AGM and changes to our articles.”

Brisbane Heat defended superbly at the death to overcome Adelaide Strikers in a gutsy victory after a knee injury to quick Shaheen Shah Afridi.Debutant Thomas Balkin stepped up and claimed two wickets in the final over to ensure Heat claimed their second win of the season.It was the first game played at the Gabba since Heat and Scorchers combined for a record 515 runs on December 19. While the same surface was used, this nerve-jangling match was more of an even contest between bat and ball.Heat struggled for fireworks in the first half of their innings, shackled by a disciplined and versatile Strikers attack. Quick Hasan Ali bowled well during several difficult phases to finish with 2 for 36 from 4 overs, but Heat did recover from 98-5 thanks to Max Bryant’s 63 off 32 balls.Chasing 180, Strikers were pinned down early with Shaheen conjuring swing and unleashing several menacing yorkers. Shaheen’s opening two-over burst underlined his improving form, having started his BBL career with just two wickets from three matches and a grisly economy of almost 12.Having seen off Shaheen, Matthew Short put the foot down and smashed consecutive sixes in the fifth over to speed past a scratchy Chris Lynn.Lynn could never get going and his 24-ball 22 ended when he skied a return catch to Xavier Bartlett, who two balls later dismissed Mackenzie Harvey. Bartlett then found himself under a high ball from Liam Scott as he gleefully took the catch at long-on off Matthew Renshaw’s part-time spin bowling.Short remained the key and brought up his half-century in risky fashion when he almost fended a return catch to Shaheen, who undid his earlier good work to concede 19 runs in the 12th over.Shaheen then limped off the field after the 14th over with a knee injury having pulled up gingerly when a blow from Jamie Overton thumped past him at mid-on.It meant Shaheen, who finished with 0 for 26 from 3 overs, was not available for the final over of the power surge where he had been entrusted to bowl in previous games. Jerrssis Wadia, playing his second BBL game, turned the game on its head in the 15th over when he whacked 22 runs off his first four deliveries.Strikers appeared to be cruising to the target until Short hit Bartlett to long-on, ending his fine 63 off 39 balls, as they lost 4 for 12. With Strikers needing 10 runs off the final over, Balkin calmly closed it out and dismissed Harry Nielsen on the penultimate ball to trigger scenes of jubilation.Heat showcased their prowess of defending a total, having batted first in their first three games. After being sent in to bat, Jack Wildermuth stepped on the turf where he became a Heat hero following his astounding century against Scorchers. But Wildermuth lasted just four balls after holing out to Scott in the second over.Left-arm quick Luke Wood, who started his season well with a three-wicket haul against Sixers, struggled to find the right length but did rattle the stumps of Colin Munro with the last ball of his opening two-over spell.The pressure was on Renshaw, who entered in a rich vein of form highlighted by his brutal ton against Scorchers. While the spotlight shines on several of Australia’s underperforming Test batters, Renshaw had an opportunity to make another statement and his confidence was underlined by swatting Wood down the ground.Having whacked nine sixes against Scorchers, Renshaw nailed his first in the fifth over when he climbed into an innocuous short delivery from Hasan.Short reverted to spin and it did the trick with legspinner Lloyd Pope dismissing Hugh Weibgen to halt Heat’s push. Renshaw, however, loomed large as he effectively shuffled across his stumps to power through the legside.But Short stepped up and his useful offspin tempted Renshaw into a miscue to extra cover as Heat soon found themselves in major trouble. Bryant started relatively slowly before launching consecutive sixes off Overton in the 14th over and the momentum carried over into the power surge overs, where Heat clubbed 30 runs.Bryant powered to his half-century, dominating a 52-run stand with Jimmy Peirson, before being beaten for pace by a fierce short ball from Hasan.