Glenn Maxwell took one of the great BBL catches as captain Marcus Stoinis guided the Stars to their first win of the season
Match Report: Melbourne Stars win by 5 wickets with 11 balls remaining
ScorecardMaxwell's miracle catch helps Stars open BBL|14 account
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Melbourne Stars have broken an eight-game losing streak in the KFC BBL thanks to a Marcus Stoinis batting masterclass and a stunning Glenn Maxwell catch in the outfield.
The Stars defeated Brisbane Heat by five wickets at the Gabba in a breakthrough win after losing their opening five games in BBL|14 and the final three of last season.
Max Bryant's blistering and unbeaten 77 off 48 deliveries led the Heat to 7-149 batting first, during which Maxwell took one of the greatest catches seen in the BBL in an all-round brilliant individual fielding exhibition.
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The hosts had the perfect start to the Stars' run chase with pacemen Xavier Bartlett (4-10) and Spencer Johnson rocking the top order to have the visitors teetering at 3-14.
The Stars needed someone to stand up and Stoinis (62 off 48) and England import Dan Lawrence (64no off 38) delivered in a 134-run partnership for the third wicket.
Stoinis walloped Paul Walter for four boundaries in one over and paced the run chase perfectly, bludgeoning anything loose to secure his first win this season as Stars captain.
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Lawrence upped the ante at the end to take the pressure off Stoinis in an innings of class.
Maxwell has plenty of freakish acts in T20 cricket, but he took it to the next level with a classic catch for the ages and his fourth for the innings.
The veteran leapt metres over the long on boundary to catch the ball in one hand before throwing it back into the field of play while in the air. He calmly stepped back over the boundary rope to complete the catch and send a stunned Will Prestwidge (4) on his way.
The ball seamed around from the start and justified the decision by Stoinis to send the Heat in.
Big X is PUMPED 🔥
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 1, 2025
Xavier Bartlett gets his second wicket and it's game on at The Gabba. #BBL14 pic.twitter.com/Q8Vel8WxHU
Heat skipper Colin Munro (1) continued his dire form in the BBL this summer and now has 23 runs in four innings.
Fellow opener Tom Banton (13) was the second wicket early for Mark Steketee against his former franchise.
When veteran Peter Siddle clean bowled Nathan McSweeney (9) with the first ball of his spell the hosts were on the ropes.
Walter (21) threatened to cut loose before Bryant took charge, carting Steketee for three sixes and lofting Siddle into the crowd with three massive blows. He finished with six sixes in a superb knock that included brute power and deft ramp shots to give his bowlers a total to defend.
Stoinis and Lawrence stepped up in the run chase to consign defending champions Heat to their third consecutive loss.
KFC BBL|14 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -0.12 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.156 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
THU
|
10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0.34 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.135 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
SCO
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.219 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
REN
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.139 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
HEA
|
10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | -0.831 | 0 | 7 |
|
8
STR
|
10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -0.122 | 0 | 6 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points