BBL 5 Match 21 Review: Wright and Maxwell fifties seal Stars win

Glenn Maxwell (56 from 32 balls) and Luke Wright (51 from 41 balls) batted calmly and took Melbourne Stars over the line after they were brought down to 27/2 while chasing the modest target of 125 runs set by Hobart Hurricanes batting first. The Stars had a bad start to the chase as they lost Marcus Stoinis (10 from 16 balls) and Kevin Pietersen (1 run) before the fifth over could end. However, Glenn Maxwell, who was playing his last match of the BBL season, was joined in with Luke Wright ensured that there were no further hiccups in the chase as the target was overhauled in the 15th over after Maxwell hit a six for the winning runs.

Earlier, Melbourne Stars won the toss and put the Hurricanes to bat. The Hurricanes were left shaken as the Stars spinners and a couple of run out left them reeling at 31/4. Tim Paine was the first one to depart after he was dismissed by Maxwell in the first over of the innings. The following two overs also saw the fall of a wicket each in the form of Ben Dunk and Kumar Sangakkara. Sanga was unlucky to have nicked Michael Beer on the leg side to the wicketkeeper. Ben Dunk was involved in a mix-up which led to his downfall.

Jonathan Wells and George Bailey then batted well for the next ten overs and put up a 67 runs partnership. However, Adam Zampa produced a twin strike in the 16 over after he dismissed both Wells (22 from 29 balls) and Bailey (55 from 40 balls) in the space of three deliveries. Darren Sammy (17 from 14 balls) then tried to contribute but couldn’t survive for very long. The Stars finished on a high note after Scott Holland produced another twin blow in the final over of the match, knocking the stumps of Cameron Boyce and Sam Rainbird off successive deliveries. Shaun Tait managed to defend the hat-trick ball but was run out while taking a single. This brilliant bowling performance meant that Hurricanes could only set a target of 125 in the end.

In a sense, it was the Stars bowling attack that set up the victory for them. The Hurricanes were hardly ever in the game. This win has earned Stars valuable two points which has taken them ahead of the Hurricanes to the fourth position in the points table.

Brief Scores:

Hobart Hurricanes: 124 in 20 overs (Bailey 55; Adam Zampa 2/18)

Melbourne Stars: 126/2 in 15.0 overs (Maxwell 56; Rainbird 1/25)