Finn Allen hits ton as Scorchers crush Renegades to boost BBL Qualifier hopes

MELBOURNE: Right-handed opener Finn Allen scored a swashbuckling century and powered Perth Scorchers to a commanding 50-run victory over Melbourne Renegades in the 36th match of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 here at the Docklands Stadium on Thursday.

Put into bat first, the visitors racked up a massive total of 219/7 on the board, courtesy of Allen's blitz.

The New Zealand international oversaw the Scorchers' innings until the fourth delivery of the 17th over and walked back after top-scoring with 101 off 53 deliveries, studded with eight sixes and five fours.

For his blistering century, Allen was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Besides him, Aaron Hardie (22), Laurie Evans (21) and Mitchell Marsh (20) made notable contributions to the Scorchers' total.

Sam Elliott was the standout bowler for the Renegades, taking four wickets for 28 runs in his three overs, while Adam Zampa, Brendan Doggett and captain Will Sutherland could make one scalp apiece.

Chasing a daunting 220-run target, the Renegades could accumulate 169/7 in their 20 overs despite Tim Seifert's anchoring half-century.

Seifert remained the top-scorer for the home side with a gutsy 66 off 43 deliveries, featuring four sixes and as many fours, while Jake Fraser-McGurk made a quickfire 18-ball 42, laced with five sixes and two fours.

However, the middle order's failure halted the flow of runs and eventually saw the Renegades falling short by 50 runs.

For the Scorchers, Cooper Connolly and Mahli Beardman bagged two wickets each, while Hardie and Luke Holt chipped in with one strike apiece.

The 50-run victory lifted Perth Scorchers to second position in the BBL 2025-26 standings with 12 points in nine matches, pushing down Melbourne Stars due to a superior net run rate.

Meanwhile, Melbourne Renegades, already out of the playoff race, remained seventh with six points in nine games.