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Glasgow Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin is one of the players whose future is up in the air now that the January transfer window is open for business.

It was reported last month that Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing the Belgium international ahead of the second half of the season.

At the time of that report, it was claimed that the Gers are likely to cash in on the central midfielder if a team comes in with an attractive offer for the former Standard Liege star.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not any club, Spurs or another side, are willing to put a bid on the table to snap him up this month.

Rangers eyeing move for Premiership star

Irrespective of whether or not Raskin remains at Ibrox or moves on before the end of the window, the Light Blues are reportedly in the market to add to their options in his position.

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According to The Scottish Sun, Danny Rohl is interested in signing Motherwell central midfielder Elliot Watt for Glasgow Rangers in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Gers are eyeing a possible swoop for the Scottish star to bolster their ranks in the middle of the park for the second half of the season and beyond.

It confirms that the Scottish Premiership giants are yet to make contact with Motherwell to discuss a deal for the 25-year-old ace, but they are keeping tabs on his situation.

The Scottish Sun adds that he penned a two-year contract with the club last summer, which means that he only has 18 months left to run on his deal and Rangers could look to take advantage of that to make their move now.

Why Rangers should sign Elliot Watt

The Light Blues must press ahead with a deal to sign Watt before the end of the January transfer window because he could be a big upgrade on Raskin in the middle of the park.

With the Belgian’s future at Ibrox in doubt, signing a midfielder who could come through the door as an instant upgrade on him could be a shrewd move by Rangers to mitigate the potential blow of losing Raskin further down the line.

Watt’s performances for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership this season suggest that he can be that instant upgrade on the current Gers star, as he has been in phenomenal form at Fir Park.

The 25-year-old talent scored his third goal of the league campaign earlier this week in a 2-0 win against Celtic for Motherwell, as shown in the clip above, with a composed finish after Kasper Schmeichel’s mistake.

Watt was described as the “best midfielder in the league” this season by Rangers supporter and analyst Kai Watson, and his statistics in comparison to Raskin’s explain why he may hold that opinion.

25/26 Premiership

Watt

Raskin

Appearances

19

17

Pass accuracy

87%

87%

Goals

3

1

Key passes per game

1.4

1.4

Assists

2

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.5

2.7

Ball recoveries per game

8.2

4.1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star offers a similar threat at the top end of the pitch, as a scorer and as a creator, but he has been more impressive at winning the ball back for his side.

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The English-born midfielder has shown that he can excel in and out of possession as a classy operator in the middle of the park, as he can win the ball back at an impressive rate, complete his passes efficiently, and carry a threat in the final third.

Watt is, therefore, an incredibly well-rounded midfielder who has the quality to offer even more to the team than Raskin, particularly when it comes to recovering the ball to create more attacks for his side.

The Motherwell star, whose 7.74 Sofascore rating leads the way in the entire Premiership, could also hit the ground running because he is a proven performer in the Scottish top-flight who would not need any time to adjust to the country or league.

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Therefore, he could be the perfect signing for Rangers this month as they look to bolster their squad for a title charge in the second half of the campaign.

Everton must not pursue their reported move for Leicester City defender Jannik Vestergaard.

The links

Football Insider report that Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell is very much an admirer of Vestergaard.

He apparently tried to sign the Dane during his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and launched a fresh scouting mission during the recent international break.

Thelwell and his recruitment team believe he could be an asset to the club because of his ‘aerial dominance’ and experience in the Premier League, but there’s reason to question that assessment.

Former player underwhelmed

Last summer, amid links to Tottenham Hotspur, former PL midfielder Rob Lee admitted that he was unconvinced by Vestergaard and urged the Lilywhites to think twice about a move (via Football Fan Cast).

He questioned the consistency of the centre-back’s performances: “I’ve seen him play well, seen him play badly, so I wouldn’t go breaking the bank for him,” he said.

“I’d go and break the bank for Danny Ings, but for Vestergaard, no, not really. He’s not Virgil van Dijk, is he?”

Strong criticism from journalists

In the end, it was Leicester City that snapped him up, but some journalists believe the move has proven to be a mistake.

For example, Josh Bunting of the Islington Gazette has called it a ‘poor’ signing that ‘hasn’t worked at all’, while Zach Lowy regards him as ‘one of the biggest flops’ of the summer transfer window.

Lowy also believes that the 6 foot 6 Vestergaard isn’t as dominant as he ought to be – he labelled him ‘about as imposing in the air as a macaroni penguin’. The numbers support this too, as the Denmark international ranks eighth for winning aerial duels in the Foxes squad, despite being by far their tallest player (Whoscored).

Tactical concerns

What’s more, Vestergaard may not be the best fit for Frank Lampard’s system at Goodison Park.

The manager has looked to be aggressive, playing the kind of high line Rodgers employs at Leicester, but BBC Sport writer Raj Chohan has observed that the Foxes look ‘so much’ more vulnerable when they ask Vestergaard to push up the pitch.

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And The Athletic’s Rob Tanner has noted that the 29-year-old may simply be better suited to playing deeper.

Based on these verdicts, it looks like moving for Vestergaard could be a costly mistake for the Toffees, who already have a number of flops at centre-back with Jamie Carragher branding them a ‘Championship back four’.

In other news, a transfer insider says Arsenal have a second Everton target in mind.

Logan Naidoo: “The home secretary said levels of security will be increased by another two levels at the other three venues” © AFP

South Africa’s ODI series against Pakistan will go ahead unchanged despite the twin bomb attacks that rocked Karachi late on Thursday, killing over 130 people and injuring over 500. Karachi is due to host the final ODI on October 29 and it remains on the itinerary after assurances to the South African team of extra security.The decision came after a meeting between officials from Cricket South Africa (CSA), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), top local security officials and the provincial Punjab government. Zakir Khan, PCB’s director operations, said, “After concern shown by South Africa’s management over the incidents in Karachi, we had a comprehensive security briefing, which included board officials and the Punjab home secretary. After the meeting, it has been decided the tour will go ahead as planned.”The series moves to Faisalabad and then Multan after tomorrow’s game in Lahore and the tourists have been assured beefed-up levels of security for the remainder of the tour. Logan Naidoo, South Africa’s manager and vice-president CSA, said the offer had come from the home secretary’s office.”We came here knowing the situation and we knew it wasn’t free movement. That hasn’t changed after the incidents of last night. It’s strange because we didn’t go to the PCB and say we needed more security. In fact, the home secretary said levels of security will be increased by another two levels at the other three venues.”The tour itinerary, however, remains open to change should the situation in the country change again. “Having met with the PCB chairman and officials and with the home secretary, we are quite satisfied so far that the arrangements that are made are acceptable to the South African team so we will definitely continue with the tour.”We will be keeping tabs on what’s happening within the country for the rest of the tour and if anything changes we will meet again before making a decision.”The management offered their sympathies and condolences to the families affected by the blasts and said the players had been disturbed by the deaths.”It’s not a usual situation for the players and they are more disturbed in terms of the deaths [that] occurred. We will ensure that whatever safety precautions we take for officials we will take for them as well,” Naidoo said. “We wouldn’t be limiting any security measures for them.””I have spoken to officials in South Africa and I have told them that we are engaging the PCB and I am thankful to them. We are satisfied with the way the situation has been handled.”The twin bombs went off at the motorcade for Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, who returned to the country yesterday after a self-imposed exile of eight years.

‘They have to work harder to acclimatise themselves as quickly as possible when they go to play in other countries’ © Cricket Kenya

Although still recovering from his recent heart bypass surgery, Reginald Pearman, the Bermuda president, has expressed his disappointment over his country’s three successive defeats to Kenya in the recent one-dayers.”Well as you can imagine I haven’t been much in touch with what went on in Kenya other than getting the news that we lost all three matches,” he told , “and of course that was news that was rather disappointing.”I feel that what the players have to realise is that they have to work harder to acclimatise themselves as quickly as possible when they go to play in other countries. They have to realise that they are on the big stage now and must be prepared for whatever hurdles are placed in front of them.”

We lack a match-winner in bowling and batting El James, Bermuda’s former president

El James, the former board president, echoed Pearman’s comments while adding that a level of understanding was needed by the public and media.”The local cricket fraternity has to remember that we are going through something we have never experienced before, the players are going to strange countries far from home, leaving their friends, families and loved ones and eating new foods, adjusting to new surroundings and playing on wickets that are different,” James said, responding to comments made last week by Martin Williamson, Cricinfo’s Managing Editor.”It’s a huge adjustment to their whole lives and it takes a while for them to settle down and deal with these changes – so to be honest it’s unfortunate when a harsh judgement is made,” he said. “We actually need to turn our game around, especially when the thinking of some in the world is that we are going in the opposite direction after qualifying for the World Cup.”We need match-winners – look at Kenya’s Steve Tikolo – he was always playing a spear-header’s role and in return who did we have – nobody really.”We lack a match-winner in bowling and batting, nobody is a threat in these respective departments and this is not good. If we had one or two individuals who can come up with a century and a few fifties and a couple of bowlers who can capture several scalps in a game on a consistent basis then we could look forward to a few successful results. But without any semblance of consistency it’s only going to get harder.”Meanwhile the assistant coach, Herbie Bascome, insists the players desperately need to toughen their resolve mentally if they are to find success.”I definitely feel this team has much more to offer than we’re offering now,” he said. “But what’s happened may have a lot to do with coming to Africa, a different environment, a different culture, because we’re getting more experiences than just cricket,” he said. “The cricket is at the highest level but when you come to Africa you’re coming to a place where you’ve always wanted to visit because you’ve read so much about it. You know, maybe the players weren’t in the right frame of mind to play cricket.”Mentally, if we decide we’re going to play this game we have to get tuned in. The most important thing is being able to think your way out of situations. When we realise the importance of the mental part of the game, then we’ll get better.”

England 256 for 9 dec and 112 (Arafat 5-31) beat PCB Patron’s XI 211 and 105 (Plunkett 4-16, Giles 4-38) by 52 runs
Scorecard

Ashley Giles picked up four wickets to save England’s blushes © Getty Images

Ashley Giles and Liam Plunkett dug England out of a great big hole on the final day at Rawalpindi, grabbing four wickets apiece to seal a nervy 52-run victory. Having eased to 50 for 0 in pursuit of 158, the PCB Patron’s XI lost all ten wickets for 55 in the space of 23 overs. It was left to Shaun Udal to complete the formalities after tea, wrapping up the last two wickets to complete a satisfactory bowling workout ahead of the second warm-up match, which begins at Lahore later this week.If the bowlers could be happy with their efforts, however, the same could not be said of the batsmen. Had it not been for the efforts of Marcus Trescothick, who took his match tally to 162 not out with an unbeaten 38 in the second innings, England would have been unable to set the Patron’s XI even the smallest of targets. They had been braced for an embarrassment after resuming on 39 for 6 this morning, but an important eighth-wicket partnership of 56 between Trescothick and Paul Collingwood enabled England to muster a defendable total, and in the event it proved to be more than enough.Thanks to Duncan Fletcher’s pre-match arrangement that all 14 squad members could be used, England’s batting line-up extended way beyond the normal limits. Collingwood and Ian Bell were the overnight incumbents, and both were seeking a big innings to push their claims for a place in the first Test at Multan. Bell, however, cut a sorry figure as Yasir Arafat pinned him on the crease for 1. It was his second failure of the match and, allied to the pair he recorded at The Oval against Australia, it seems increasingly likely to condemn him to the also-rans for this series.The real revelation in this match, however, was Arafat, who completed the impressive match figures of 9 for 76. He hardly needed the assistance of his fielders in producing a performance that recalled the feats of the great Waqar Younis. Seven of his nine victims were bowled, one (Bell) was lbw, and only England’s No. 11, Matthew Hoggard, fell to a catch, at third slip, as he skewed an attempted drive. His two seasons with Scotland have reaped an unremarkable 37 wickets at 29.10, but two days against England could yet have propelled him into the eyes of the Pakistani selectors.

Yasir Arafat bowls Giles: he finished with impressive match figures of 9 for 76 © Getty Images

By tea, the Patron’s XI openers, Asher Zaidi and Yasir Hameed, had knocked off 13 of the 158 runs they needed for victory, and when Kevin Pietersen dropped a regulation clip to square-leg when Hameed was on 24, it seemed England would struggle to save face. The pair brought up their fifty partnership in the 14th over, but no sooner had they done so than Giles struck to change the course of the innings.Giles had missed the second day of the match with a stomach upset and had earlier recorded a second-ball duck as England subsided to the wiles of Arafat, but by grabbing two wickets in two balls he turned the Patron’s XI innings on its head. First Hameed clipped a firm chance to a juggling Andrew Strauss at midwicket, and then Giles came round the wicket to trap Bazid Khan first-ball with a quicker delivery (50 for 2).Plunkett entered the attack and sprayed a series of rapid deliveries on both sides of the wicket. But he got it right before the over was out, as Asher chipped a leading edge to James Anderson at mid-on. Three balls later, Asim Kamal flashed hard and was caught by Trescothick at second slip for a duck, and at 65 for 4, the innings was in freefall.Faisal Iqbal didn’t hang around, swishing a rising catch to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, before Giles persuaded Shahzad Malik to chop onto his stumps for 3. Khaled Latif then hoisted a mighty slog straight into the hands of Strauss in the covers, and when the becalmed Misbah-ul-Haq edged Plunkett to Trescothick in the slips for 14, their last recognised batsman had fallen. Plunkett reached tea with the impressive figures of 4 for 13 for five overs, and at 88 for 8, England were just about out of jail.Udal, who had not featured in the first two sessions, then appeared after tea to push his Test claims, and he used his opportunity well, ending the resistance long before the last two wickets could cause England any alarms. It was a mixed performance in a mishmash of a game, and England now travel to Lahore to team up with their two missing talismans, Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison. Perhaps their arrival, and a proper first-class match at Bagh-e-Jinnah, can concentrate a few minds in the England camp.

Tasmania 5 for 340 (Birt 145, Bevan 118) beat South Australia 226 (Blewett 118) by 114 runs
ScorecardTravis Birt broke the record for the highest score by a Tasmanian in a domestic one-day match as he and Michael Bevan hammered hundreds off South Australia in their ING Cup match at Bellerive Oval. Thanks to the two hundreds Tasmania posted an imposing 339, and were able to register a thumping 114 run win. Greg Blewett’s 118 was the only consolation for South Australia.Birt’s 145 surpassed the previous Tasmanian record of 129 not out by Michael Di Venuto against the Redbacks eight years ago. The second-wicket stand of 225 was also a Tasmanian record. For Bevan this was just an extension of a fine run. He has scored three centuries on the trot in the Pura Cup since moving to Tasmania.South Australia got off to a good start, racing to 60 in 10 overs. But then the need to score quickly caused wickets to fall at regular intervals. Mark Cosgrove carved 38 from 36 balls opening the innings, but Blewett aside, no-one else crossed 20. For Tasmania the wickets were shared around with Luke Butterworth returning the best figures with 2 for 29. South Australia are yet to post a win in the ING Cup this year.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has promised to implement the recommendations of the inquiry panel which was set up to look into the causes for Bangladesh’s miserable performance in the World Cup. Ali Asghar, president of the BCB, stated: "We have the report and we will correct the loopholes."Bangladesh went through the entire World Cup without registering a single win. They lost to Kenya and Canada, and their only points came from a rained out fixture against West Indies. The inquiry committee was scathing in its criticism of the board and the team management.”The truth remains that there was noticeable inadequacy and complacency on the part of both the [present and past Bangladesh Cricket] Boards,” the committee said in its report after an inquiry lasting nearly three months. “[This had been] adequately reflected in the quality of our team’s performance. The sooner things are put right, the sooner cricket will improve.”The report said that Khaled Masud, the captain who has since been dropped from the team, “fought with the manager on the issue of tickets, and there were instances where he spent nights out of the hotel.”In particular, the night before the Kenya match, [Masud] was seen outside the hotel at well past midnight, and this obviously contributed to the deterioration of his ability as a player and it is no wonder that he dropped three regulation catches against Kenya the following day. It appears that his conduct and captaincy do raise questions about his motives.”However, Asghar rejected suggestions that Mashud had deliberately underperformed. “Both the International Cricket Council and the BCB had found no basis to carry out further investigation into his role.”The report added that there was no consultation among the captain, physio and trainer over the team line-up. Bangladesh’s Pakistani coach Mohsin Kamal, now succeeded by Australian Dav Whatmore, had a communication and language problem with the team. “One gets the impression that the selection of the coach, to say the least, was poor and gives the impression it was more a political choice rather than a selection of an able and competent hand.”Following interviews with Kamal and his assistant Ali Zia, the committee concluded that “neither of them was really competent, dedicated, sincere or committed enough to perform their duties. The fact is, they were being paid well and were quite happy.”Whatmore, whose first assignment with the team will be an overseas series against Australia in July, was under no illusions about the task at hand. “Taking charge of the team is a privilege, but I am not day-dreaming nor want anybody to do so,” he said after signing the contract with the BCB last month.

It was a mismatch with Pakistan well and truly whipped by aprofessional Sri Lankan team in a totally one-sided affairby seven wickets in the Khaleej Times Trophy here at theSharjah Stadium Saturday.A total of 176 to overhaul on a placid wicket was nevergoing to be testing one barring a sensational collapse whichnever materialized as Pakistan’s over-rated attack exceptWasim Akram posed few problems to the Sri Lankan batsmen.The only bright spots for Pakistan in the field was WasimAkram who bowled his heart out but was desperately unluckynot to be amongst wickets.While the bowling lacked penetration the buttered fingeredfielders also compounded the problems. Sanath Jayasuriya wasdropped by Shoaib Malik in Waqar Younis’ third over.Aviskha Gunawardena, who enjoyed a charmed life especiallyduring Wasim Akram’s opening burst, too was put down bySaeed Anwar in the 60s. Later named Man-of-the-Match,Gunawardena was eventually dismissed for 88. He slammed 13fours and faced 122 balls.Pakistan on this performance will have to improve beyondrecognition to even beat the current ‘whipping boys’Zimbabwe tomorrow to make next Sunday’s final.Pakistan batting crumblesA series of nothing strokes by top order batsmen was themajor contributory factor in Pakistan’s pathetic total of176 after Waqar Younis opted to bat first under perfectbatting conditions.There was no venom in the pitch or the moderate Sri Lankanattack but it was some senseless strokeplay by Pakistanisthat gave Sri Lanka an easy target to achieve.While the Sri Lankan bowling could be described as moderatebut the islanders’ outcricket was simply outstanding.Chaminda Vaas and Mahela Jayawardena took blinders to removeYousuf Youhana and Wasim Akram respectively.Only a sensible 47 by Youhana saved Pakistan from evengetting out for a much lower total but he too was guilty ofthrowing his wicket when well set.Gangling medium-pacer Dilhara Fernando and Prabath Nissanka,playing his first One-day International, did the earlydamage reducing Pakistan to 67 for five wickets by the 18thover.Taufiq Umer dragged a ball onto his stumps, Saeed Anwar,batting at number three, gave a return catch, Shahid Afridispooned a dolly to mid-wicket, while Younis Khan and RashidLatif got out playing extravagant strokes.Youhana and Abdur Razzaq tried to check the slide and put on50 for the sixth wicket but both got out to loose strokes,ending any hopes of reaching a respectable total.

Last week in Belfast, the Steven Smith era quietly began. Of course, it felt like it had started late last year, when Smith led Australia to victory in their Test series against India. But he was only a stand-in skipper then, steering the team while Michael Clarke recovered from surgery and prepared for one last push at World Cup and Ashes glory. Now the team belongs to Smith, in both formats.On Thursday, he begins his first full series in charge of Australia, a five-match one-day battle with England. Smith’s men are the World Cup holders, and the No.1 ODI side in the world. But now begins a whole new World Cup cycle. In four years, Australia will defend their title in England. By then, Smith will be 30. Will he still be captain? Probably, but who knows. It is a way off.So for now – indeed, for the next couple of years – Australia’s one-day cricket is about living in the moment, winning each series as and when it comes. New players will be introduced gradually. Shane Watson might be gone by the next World Cup. So might George Bailey. But for now, they remain part of the ODI squad, men who can help Smith in his goal to keep Australia at No.1.There are some new faces in the group for this series against England. Aaron Finch’s foot injury has provided an opportunity for Joe Burns at the top of the order. His 69 on debut against Ireland last week was a reminder of his class. Burns was unlucky to have missed out on a place in the Ashes squad after his promising Test start against India, and deserves a decent run in the national set-up.Ashton Agar is in line for his first international matches since his debut Test series against England two years ago. For Agar, this could be a golden opportunity. Australia won the World Cup with Glenn Maxwell the lead spinner, with almost no input from Xavier Doherty. That worked in Australian conditions, but the role of frontline ODI spinner is one that is very much up for grabs.Batting allrounder Marcus Stoinis also has a chance to debut in the 50-over format, though quite how Australia will use him remains to be seen, with Watson and Mitchell Marsh seemingly the front-runners in that role. Matthew Wade returns to replace World Cup winner Brad Haddin, though it is anyone’s guess who will be Australia’s gloveman by the time of the next World Cup.Not surprisingly given their Ashes workloads, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood have been sent home to prepare for their next Test encounters, which will provide chances for Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson. Mitchell Starc has been kept on for the ODIs, again not surprisingly, given that he is the world’s No.1-ranked ODI bowler and was the Player of the Tournament in the World Cup.All in all, this series for Australia will contain nods to the future, but mostly through injury and workload management. Clarke and Haddin are the only members of the World Cup-winning squad who are definitely finished in the format. Other veterans like Watson and Bailey will be keen to use this series to prove they have much more ODI cricket left in them.For Smith, this series really marks the start of an era. Michael Clarke won his first one-day series as full-time captain, against Bangladesh following the 2011 World Cup. Ricky Ponting did too, against South Africa. Steve Waugh began with victory in a tri-series also featuring South Africa and New Zealand.When the history of Smith’s captaincy tenure is written – and it could be a long one, given he is only 26 – this series won’t be much more than a footnote. But after the disappointment of an Ashes defeat as vice-captain, he’d like it to be a winning footnote.

Perth Scorchers pummelled an attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, but Matt Renshaw and Jack Wildermuth responded with remarkable power-hitting to lift Brisbane Heat to the greatest chase in BBL history and the third-highest in T20s overall.In an astonishing batter-dominated game where a slew of records were broken, Renshaw and Wildermuth produced belligerent centuries as they combined for the highest BBL partnership of 213 runs.Related

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Renshaw smashed 102 off 51 balls, while Wildermuth finished 110 not out from 54 balls as Heat clinched a miraculous victory with one ball to spare. They overhauled Scorchers’ 257 for 6, which – fleetingly as it turned out – had been the second-highest BBL score. Both teams whacked 18 sixes each – the previous highest by a team in the competition’s history was 17.The previous record chase in the BBL was Adelaide Strikers running down 230 against Hobart Hurricanes in January 2023.Scorchers had seemingly made a match-winning total on a very flat surface after Finn Allen and Cooper Connolly combined for 14 sixes.Allen and Connolly traded massive blows in a second-wicket partnership of 142 off just 64 balls. Having earlier in the week received a maiden IPL deal, when Punjab Kings snapped him up for AUD 500,000, Connolly whacked his second straight half-century to start the season with 77 off 37 balls, while Allen struck 79 off 38.All five of Heat’s bowlers went for at least 11 an over with Afridi finishing with 1 for 49 from four overs, his figures taking a battering at the death. Heat’s woes spiralled when skipper Nathan McSweeney injured his left ankle while dropping a high ball in the penultimate over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

With McSweeney unable to bat, Heat’s near-impossible task was made even more difficult when Colin Munro fell on the first delivery of the chase to quick Jhye Richardson. Making his season debut having been training with Australia’s Test squad, Richardson was later left exasperated when he had Renshaw caught off a no-ball on 20.It proved incredibly costly with Renshaw teeing off and he was matched by Wildermuth, whose previous highest BBL score was just 31. They threw the bat effectively to rattle the normally disciplined Scorchers with Wildermuth receiving a life on 42 when he hit high in the sky only for skipper Ashton Turner to drop a straightforward chance.Heat were on target at 131 for 1 at the halfway mark and powered into favouritism when they whacked 42 runs in the next two overs. Turner reverted to Connolly’s left-arm spin in the 14th over and it worked with only six runs conceded, which included four extras.But Renshaw was unstoppable and he unleashed an almighty celebration after his century off 48 balls. With Heat needing 47 off 27 balls, Renshaw was run-out after a mix-up turning back for the second run in a late twist.Despite Max Bryant having to retire hurt after suffering a shoulder injury while running between the wickets, Wildermuth was not to be denied as he hit the winning runs to trigger bedlam around the ground.No one could have predicted those surreal scenes after Scorchers’ earlier fireworks.Afridi started with the new ball and keen to make amends after his forgettable BBL debut against Melbourne Renegades, where he was removed from the attack for dangerous bowling. He could not find a consistent line and length, with his struggles underlined by a wayward delivery that swung wickedly down the leg side and to the boundary.Highest successful T20 chases•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It was quick Xavier Bartlett who gave Heat a boost in the second over after Mitchell Marsh fell on the pull shot for 3.But Connolly showed off his exquisite touch and got off the mark with a punch to the backward-point boundary. McSweeney surprisingly did not keep Afridi in the attack, preferring to utilise his experience for the latter overs given Heat are missing several first-choice quicks.But the move backfired. Having not received the strike until the third over, Allen made up for lost time. His eyes lit up when left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, making his season debut, entered in the seventh over with Allen smashing a trio of sixes over the leg side – the latter blow clattering into the third tier.Afridi returned in the ninth over but was left frustrated when Allen, on 44, hit high in the air with three fielders running in off the leg-side boundary only for Munro to spill low to the ground.Connolly smashed Afridi over his head for six and another big blow into the crowd brought up his half-century off 27 balls. Allen also brought up his half-century in style as both batters swung mightily like they were playing baseball.The fans in the crowd continued to be peppered as Melbourne Stars’ all-time record score of 273 of 2 appeared under threat. Having gone past his previous highest T20 score of 66, Connolly finally holed out in the 12th over before Afridi picked up Allen to ensure Stars’ record remained out of reach.Scorchers easily powered past their previous best score of 229 for 7 and were sitting pretty at the game’s halfway mark before Heat produced the most amazing chase ever seen in the BBL.