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

Melbourne Renegades appear at serious risk of claiming their second wooden spoon after a four-run loss to rivals the Melbourne Stars that went down to the final over with Australia's past and future playing a key role.

Renegades had looked on track, needing 26 off 19 balls with seven wickets in hand, when Georgia Wareham fell to Sophie Day then Annabel Sutherland dispatched Hayley Matthews and Sarah Coyte in consecutive balls in the 18th over to swing the momentum of see-sawing contest squarely into Stars' favour.

Sasha Moloney was able to defend 14 off the last over although there was a borderline wide not called on the fourth delivery.

Sutherland earlier bowled Tammy Beaumount and had Harmanpreet Kaur caught behind after both internationals got a start on the road to 145 for victory.

Jess Duffin needed a six from the last ball to snatch a win that had looked likely at the mid-point of the Renegades innings. But she could not find the rope past long off and the Stars held on.

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

Earlier, Meg Lanning led the Stars to 144 for 5 in her second knock since announcing her international retirement on Thursday.

Dropped on 42, Lanning brought up her third half-century of the WBBL summer with a single to backward square leg in the 18th over.