Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades have locked in an experienced head and a young buck ahead of BBL|14, with Jon Wells and Mackenzie Harvey to remain in red for another season.
Wells, one of the Big Bash’s most experienced and influential batters, will enter his 14th BBL campaign.
Sitting on 134 games, Wells is poised to break the record for the most games in BBL history needing just three more to take the mantle from former Renegades all-rounder Dan Christian (137).
What he’s done with bat in hand in those games has been remarkable, amassing 2,955 runs to sit behind only Chris Lynn (3,725) and former Renegades teammate Aaron Finch (3311) on the all-time BBL run scorers list.
His longevity in the game is elevated by his reliability and consistency with the West Aussie native averaging 33.58 across his stellar career.
Ahead of his third season in red, Wells has established himself as a vital player with the Renegades squad.
“I’m super excited for another season, I feel at home now after spending the last two seasons at the Renegades,” Wells said.
“With a bit of luck and a good start to the tournament we have a side that can get a run on and be hard to stop.”
Harvey, who first signed with the Renegades as a replacement player at the age of 17, will go head into his ninth BBL season with a slightly different preparation after crossing from Victoria to South Australia during the off-season.
Harvey’s connection with Renegades remains strong, however, and he’s excited for what opportunities present for the Renegades’ young squad.
“I’m thrilled to be signing on with the Renegades for another season, I think we’ve got a great balanced squad which can get back to contending that title again,” he said.
“To mix with guys who have played all around the world and across different formats, as well as our younger guys who are now banking experience and learning what it takes to win Big Bash games; it’s an exciting time.”
Harvey’s contribution to the Renegades has been profound. He sits ninth on the Renegades’ all-time scorer’s leaderboard with 659 runs from 40 matches while he’s forever etched in the history books as a member of the Renegades’ title-winning team from BBL|08.
He’s excited about linking up with championship-winning teammate Cameron White, who took the reins as the club’s BBL head coach in June.
“It’s great to have Whitey back, he’s achieved and done so much across all levels. So, to have that added experience and knowledge will no doubt help the group in more ways than one.”
Melbourne Renegades BBL|14 squad (to date):
Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Jon Wells, Adam Zampa
The re-signings of Wells and Harvey underscore the Renegades’ commitment to blending experienced leadership with youthful talent with General Manager, James Rosengarten, identifying the pair as key cogs within the program.
“Jon and Mackenzie’s strengths as batters really complement our list overall and we were really keen for lock them away for another season,” he said.
“Jon’s experience and consistency have been invaluable to our middle order, and his leadership on and off the field is something we greatly value.
“Mackenzie is a serious talent, we’ve known that for a long time. He’s been a mainstay within our group and he works so hard on his game and preparation. I’m excited to see where Mackenzie can take his cricket within this new-look squad that’s shaping up.”
