Stars fall short in BBL|13 finale

The Player: Englishman Dan Lawrence was signed to bolster the Stars’ batting lineup in the back half of BBL|13 and he did just that. But it was his performance with the ball that shone against the Hurricanes, finishing with just the second four wicket haul of his T20 career.

The off-spinner claimed 4-35 from his four over spell, dismissing key hitters Matthew Wade and Tim David to provide a huge momentum swing for the Stars following the drinks break. 

The Moment: Who else but big Beau Webster! The Tasmanian played the shot of the evening as he pulled a delivery off Riley Meredith over long-off for a huge six in the 17th over. He and Marcus Stoinis took 15 runs from the over as the duo put on an 80-run partnership for the fourth wicket, setting the Stars up for a thrilling chase at home. 

The Result: Becoming somewhat of a custom for the Stars in BBL|13, captain Glenn Maxwell won the bat-flip and sent the visitors in to bat as he led the Melbourne Stars out onto the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the final time this summer. 

More than 22,000 Victorians turned out to cheer on the Stars on a warm Monday evening in Melbourne, hosting the Hurricanes in their final match of the season. 

Joel Paris (0-21) took the new ball from the Shane Warne Stand End, moving it away from the left-handed Matthew Wade, while MCG specialist and Ashes hero Scott Boland (0-38) partnered him from the opposite end of the ground. 

The Hurricanes got off to a fast start, sitting at 0/36 after the powerplay as Maxwell opted for variation from his bowlers, bringing himself and fellow Australia ODI World Cup winner Marcus Stoinis on for an over each early in the match. 

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim (2-35) was tidy outside off-stump, while seamer Nathan Coulter-Nile picked up where he left off against the Renegades, restricting the run flow as he conceded just 18 runs in his four over spell of 2-18, including nine dot balls. 

The Western Australian struck on the final ball before drinks to have the visitors 1/86 after 10 overs, finding the edge to remove the destructive Ben McDermott for 50, with keeper Pete Handscomb doing the rest behind the stumps. 

Maxwell and Boland returned to the attack as the Hurricanes called for the power-surge ahead of the 13th over, though it was opening batsman Dan Lawrence (4-35) who was the Star with ball in hand on Monday night. 

The Englishman provided four overs of off-breaks, allowing just nine runs from his first two overs as he claimed the biggest wicket of the night in the form of Australia T20I Captain Matthew Wade thanks to a catch from Hilton Cartwright. 

Lawrence went blow for blow with power hitter Tim David as he eventually held out to Wasim in the deep, with the import claiming his second wicket of the night. 

But the wickets didn’t stop there for Lawrence, beating the bat of Mac Wright, courtesy of some sharp glove work from Handscomb to complete the stumping.

Chris Jordan was Lawrence’s fourth and final victim of the night, with outfield catcher and skipper Maxwell holding on to his first of three catches inside the final three overs. 

Coulter-Nile removed Nikhil Chaudhary as he impressed once again with ball in hand, while Wasim claimed two final over wickets to dismiss Mitchell Owen and opposition captain Nathan Ellis while the ‘Wave’ erupted around the MCG as the sun set on the BBL|13 season. 

The Stars rallied to secure seven wickets in the second half of the innings as the Hurricanes completed their 20 overs, posting a score of 8/187. 

Tom Rogers (10) and Dan Lawrence (15) assumed their partnership atop the Stars’ batting lineup for the last time in BBL|13, with the latter coming down the wicket to punish Riley Meredith down the ground for four in the third over.

‘Slug’ Webster entered at first drop and found the rope on the first ball he saw, glancing past fine leg to get off the mark in fine fashion. 

Maxwell (32 off 18) joined him, going hard after the spin as the pair put on a 44-run stand, as four of his six boundaries coming against off-paced deliveries from Peter Hatzoglou and Nikhil Chaudhary.

The partnership saw the Stars off to a strong platform, sitting at 3/81 at the drinks break.

From there, it was the Marcus Stoinis show at the MCG. 

Stoinis pounded the Hurricanes’ bowlers to all parts of the ground as he and Webster brought up a 50-run stand in no time. 

The Stars made use of an effective power-surge, taking 21 runs from the 15th and 16th overs. DJ Jesse James didn’t provide the only fireworks on Monday evening as Stoinis crushed a pair of sixes off Hatzoglou and Meredith back down the ground, before Webster joined in the fun and took to the pace of Meredith, pulling over long off for six with the shot of the night coming in a 15-run 17th over. 

Webster (55* off 43) and Stoinis (48 off 32) combined for an 80-run stand, before Hilton Cartwright raced to a quickfire 14* not out from eight deliveries.

The Stars fell just short at home, going down to the Hurricanes by seven runs as the chase went right down to the wire. 

Skipper Glenn Maxwell capped off an outstanding all-round season, taking out the mantle of the Melbourne Stars’ leading wicket taker. The captain scored 243 runs throughout the tournament at an average of 34.71, including a high score of 35* not out in a rain affected match against the Hurricanes, in which he also recorded his best figures for the season with 3-29. 

Maxwell scored at an outrageous strike rate of 173.57 and blasted 27 boundaries and 13 sixes in BBL|13, all while leading his team with pure class and passion in the field. Maxwell claimed a total of seven wickets in BBL|13, closely followed by Haris Rauf, Joel Paris, Beau Webster, and Dan Lawrence, who each finished with six. 

Beau Webster (262 runs) finished as the Stars’ leading run scorer of BBL|13, posting the club’s highest score of the season with 66* not out against the Strikers on New Year’s Eve. Webster scored three half centuries this season, while Dan Lawrence and Marcus Stoinis also raised the bat on New Year’s Eve in Adelaide.

Glenn Maxwell (243), Hilton Cartwright (209), Tom Rogers (187) and Marcus Stoinis (169) followed as the next best for the club in BBL|13. 

The Stars have now concluded their BBL|13 campaign, finishing sixth on the BBL table with four wins and six losses.