Kevin Pietersen slammed an unbeaten 67 off 43 balls as the  Stars beat the Renegades by eight wickets in the Big Bash League Melbourne derby on Sunday.

Chasing a less-than challenging 156 for victory, a total to which the beleaguered Chris Gayle contributed just 21 off 21 balls (2×6), Pietersen was given the perfect platform after Marcus Stoinis and Luke Wright put on 33 in 3.2 overs.

He offered a tough return catch to Dwaine Bravo on 7, but then proceded to go to his fifty in 36 balls (3×4, 1×6) and then add two more fours and a six in the following seven balls as the Stars cantered home with 12 balls remaining.

It wasn’t such a good day for Johan Botha, who scored 18 from 10 in a losing cause as the Sydney Sixers went down by six runs to the Brisbane Heat. Earlier, his four overs had cost 45 runs when the Heat ran up 162-8

Elsewhere, Marizanne Kapp took 2-7 off her first three overs to help restrict the Melbourne Renegades to 128 and pave the way for an eight-wicket win for the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League.

For the Renegades, her EP teammate Dane van Niekerk top-scored with 38 off 41 (4×4, 1×6), but the Renegades had been on the back foot after a brilliant opening spell by Kapp. She conceded just one run in her opening two overs, and then removed Rachel Priest (11) and Sarah Elliott (0) in successive deliveries to boast the remarkable figures of 3-1-7-2.

Mignon du Preez was unable to repeat her earlier heroics when she was dismissed for four as the Melbourne Stars went down to the Adelaide Strikers by 50 runs. In their previous encounter on Friday, Du Prezze slammed 65 to help the Stars to a 19-run win.

Picture: Cricket Australia/Getty Images