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Melbourne Stars held nerves to defend the mighty 183 against Hobart Hurricanes in the last-over thriller at Bellerive Oval on Mo🐠nday.
With the victory, the Stars have broken the wheel of three back-to-back losses in order ๊to keep themselves alive for a place in the playoffs.
Never in doubt 😅 Stars WIN! 💚
We take all 4 points in a Hobart heartstopper!
Dance like the Spiceman tonight
— Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL)
Defending 183, Stars started pretty well after Sam Rainbird drew the first blood in the fifth over when he removed opener D Arcy Short (8).
Ben McDermott (91) and Dawid Malan (26) then steadied the ship for Hurricanes as the pair put together a crucial stand of 54 runs for the second wicket. The well-made partnership was broken by Stars spinner Adam Zampa when he dismissed Malan in the 13th over.
☝️OUT!
Zamps gets Malan after a STRONG appeal 😁
— Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL)
On the other hand, McDermott continued scoring the boundaries and formed another vital partnership of 50 runs with Colin Ingram (17) for the second wicket before Andre Fletcher grabbed a beauty to sent Ingram back into the dugo🍒ut.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
— Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL)
Hurricanes then lost few more wickets as the game went to the final over with McDermott batting on 91 runs. However, another sensational take by Fletcher near the boundary rope ended McDermott’s fine innings.
Skipper Peter Handscomb tried his best to take his team over the finish line with a quickfire 9-ball 21, but it wasn’t enough. In the end, Stars won the contest by 10 runs.
A quite brilliant 91 from Ben McDermott 🤩
The man is on fire 🔥🙌
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC)
Stoinis steamrolls Hurricanes bowling attack
Earlier, Marcus Stoinis with a sensational 97 from 55 balls helped Stars reach 183/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Stoinis, who missed gꩲood starts in the ongoing competition, finally found the golden touch as he clobbered seven fours and as many sixes during his unbeaten knock.
We're back and ready defend our total! 💚
183 on the board. C'mon
— Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL)
The right-handed batsman scored 18 runs from the last over to reach 97. He could’ve notched up a century with a maximum off the innings’ final ball but managed to grab just a couple.
97no from 55 balls for Marcus Stoinis 👏
That was heaps of fun to watch
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL)
Stoinis shared a 60-run partnership with Caribbean superstar Nicholas Pooran (26) after the Stars lost Glenn Maxwell (6) cheaply. Apart from Stoinis and Pooran, Hilton Cartwright also chipped𒁃 in with valuable 36 from 24 balls including one four and three sixes.
A great little Hilt💮on Cartwright ca🐼meo comes to an end
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL)