Melbourne Stars 144 for 5 (Lanning 67*) beat Melbourne Renegades 140 for 6 (Sutherland 4-22) for four runs

The Melbourne Renegades look in serious danger of claiming their second wooden spoon after a four-run loss to rivals Melbourne Stars who reached the final with Australia’s past and future playing a key role.

Sasha Moloney was able to defend 14 off the last over, although there was an unmarked boundary on the fourth delivery.

Jess Duffin needed a six off the last ball to claim a victory that looked likely at the midway point of the Renegades’ innings. But he couldn’t find the rope and the Stars held on.

There is now a four-point gap between the Stars and the seventh-place Renegades, who likely need to win at least two of their last four games to move up from the bottom of the standings. They have only won one of 10 games this summer.

Falling on 42, Lanning recovered his third half-century of the WBBL summer with a backward single in the 18th over.