Brisbane Heat chase 258 in Gabba six-fest to seal longest BBL run

Brisbane Heat achieved the biggest chase in Big Bash League history at the Gabba on Friday, chasing down 258 in a 515-run spectacle that produced a record 36 sixes.

After Perth Scorchers posted 257 for 6, the Heat cruised home on 258 for 2 with a ball to spare to win by eight wickets thanks to centuries from Matt Renshaw (102 off 51) and Jack Wildermuth (110 off 54) in a chase that rewrote the competition’s record books.

Perth’s innings was led by Finn Allen (79 off 38) and Cooper Connolly (77 off 37), who traded blows in a second-wicket stand of 142 off 64 balls and collectively hit 14 sixes.

Xavier Bartlett led the Heat bowling effort with 2 for 44, while Shaheen Shah Afridi finished with 1 for 49 from four overs as all five Heat bowlers conceded at least 11 an over. The Scorchers’ total was, briefly, the second highest in BBL history.

The Heat’s chase began with an immediate setback when Colin Munro fell to Jhye Richardson off the first delivery, but the momentum changed when Richardson later had Renshaw caught on a no-ball in the 20th over.

Renshaw and Wildermuth then took control with consistent power-hitting, adding a record 212-run partnership, the highest for any wicket in BBL history, as the Heat became the first team in the competition to produce two centuries in a single run.

The target of 258 was the most successful chase in BBL history, eclipsing the previous record of 230, and was also the third highest successful chase in T20 cricket overall.

Both teams hit 18 sixes each, taking their match total to 36, a new BBL record, while the total of 515 was the first 500-plus match total in the league and only the sixth men’s T20 game in which both sides scored a total of 250+.

The night also featured costly misses and injuries. Heat skipper Nathan McSweeney injured his left ankle while throwing a high ball late in the innings and was unable to hit, while Max Bryant retired injured with a shoulder injury during the chase.

Scorchers captain Ashton Turner also dismissed Wildermuth on 42, giving the Heat another crucial break on a night where the bat dominated throughout.