Mon Dec 30 12:50:00 UTC 2024: ## Warner’s Decade-Long Wait Ends in Thunder Victory
**Sydney, Australia** – Sydney Thunder secured an eight-run victory over the Melbourne Renegades at the Sydney Showground Stadium, thanks to a masterful innings from David Warner and a disciplined bowling performance led by Wes Agar. The win propels Thunder to second place on the BBL ladder.
Warner, playing his first BBL game since 2013, smashed his first fifty in over a decade, ending on an unbeaten 86 off 57 balls. His innings was crucial on a challenging, two-paced pitch that hampered scoring. After early Thunder wickets, Warner anchored the innings, forming key partnerships with Sam Billings (31-run stand) and Matthew Gilkes (69-run unbroken stand) to guide his team to a competitive 156/4.
While Renegades’ bowlers were largely disciplined, they conceded extra runs at the death, allowing Warner to accelerate without overextending himself. Only Laurie Evans (40 off 26) provided any significant resistance for the Renegades, highlighting the difficulty of the pitch. Evans and Warner were the only batters to achieve a strike rate above 150.
Agar’s impressive 4-32, including crucial wickets of Tim Seifert and Mackenzie Harvey during the power surge and the game-defining dismissal of Evans, stifled the Renegades’ chase. Despite a late flourish from Thomas Rogers, the Renegades fell short, ending on 148/8. Josh Brown’s early aggression was short-lived, and the rest of the batting lineup struggled against the Thunder’s disciplined bowling attack.
The victory marks Thunder’s third win from four matches, placing them firmly in contention for the BBL title.
First Piper 