86/4 (15.1)
CR : 5.67
83/10 (19.3)
CR : 4.26
Melbourne Stars won by 6 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Tom Curran
4/109(4)
14.6
0
J Overton to H Cartwright
Full on the stumps. 137.4 kph. Cartwright taps it back to the bowler.
Over 15
Melbourne Stars 82/4
Hilton Cartwright0(1)
Tom Curran5(3)
Jamie Overton1-19(4.0)
5 runs from the first Surge over. It had a wicket in it and in addition to that Stoinis walked off with an injured thumb. Jamie Overton finished with figures of 1-19! Just 2 more runs needed now!
15.1
4
L Scott to T Curran
FOUR RUNS!!! Curran finishes it off in style!!! Melbourne Stars have qualified for the playoffs. Adelaide Strikers have been knocked out! Over the wicket. Hard length on leg stump. Curran gets inside the line and whips it away with a swivel to deep fine leg. One bounce and into the fence it goes. A 6-wicket win for the Stars at the 'G. They go to the 2nd place on the table.
Over 16
Melbourne Stars 86/4
Tom Curran9(4)
Hilton Cartwright0(1)
Liam Scott2-12(2.1)
MLS won by 6 wickets
4:51 PM IST and 10:21 PM Local Time: Melbourne Stars win by 6 wickets! It was not all that comfortable, but the Stars have gotten over the line. They were outstanding with the ball and aided by the tricky surface here at the 'G. With the bat they were patchy but all they needed was one good partnership. They got that and raced past the finish line.
The Stars won the toss and elected to field first. The Strikers got off to a horror start. They were unable to find a boundary in the first 4-over powerplay. In fact, they lost 2 wickets for just 14 and both to Tom Curran. The pressure was relentless from the Stars. Peter Siddle came into the attack and knocked over one more wicket right after the powerplay. Curran bagged his third and the Strikers were 21/4 in 6 overs.
The wicket was not a straightforward one. The ball was seaming a tad, but the batting was poor. None of the batters including Alex Carey and Chris Lynn found their timing. There was a small period of happiness for the Strikers as Liam Scott took the score from 21 to 40/4.
However, another collapse broke out there and it was the spin of Mitch Swepson that triggered it. From 40/4 the Strikers collapsed to 55/9. Most expected them to get all out for 60. However, the last wicket pair showed resistance and took the score to 83. It was a 28 runs stand. However, the score was well below par. The pick of the bowlers for the Stars were Tom Curran (4-10) and Mitch Swepson (3-22).
Stars were expected to come out all guns blazing to chase the target. However, they were stunned early. The wicket continued to play tricky. The Stars were reduced to 13/2 in their powerplay by some quality bowling and fantastic catching.
Thomas Rogers and Blake Macdonald steadied the ship and notched up a 30 runs stand. Blake Macdonald tried to press the accelerator but was caught at long on. In walked Captain Marcus Stoinis. He was the only batter who got the measure of the wicket. Quickly rotated the strike and found some key boundaries to calm the nerves. Rogers continued to give his captain the strike and made sure the dots did not stack up.
Rogers was dismissed for 32 and Stoinis walked off with an injured thumb for 23. However, Tom Curran saw the side over the line eventually with two flashy boundaries. The pick of the bowlers for the Strikers were Liam Scott (2-8) and Hasan Ali (1-21).
The wicket was not a straightforward one. The ball was seaming a tad, but the batting was poor. None of the batters including Alex Carey and Chris Lynn found their timing. There was a small period of happiness for the Strikers as Liam Scott took the score from 21 to 40/4.
However, another collapse broke out there and it was the spin of Mitch Swepson that triggered it. From 40/4 the Strikers collapsed to 55/9. Most expected them to get all out for 60. However, the last wicket pair showed resistance and took the score to 83. It was a 28 runs stand. However, the score was well below par. The pick of the bowlers for the Stars were Tom Curran (4-10) and Mitch Swepson (3-22).
Stars were expected to come out all guns blazing to chase the target. However, they were stunned early. The wicket continued to play tricky. The Stars were reduced to 13/2 in their powerplay by some quality bowling and fantastic catching.
Thomas Rogers and Blake Macdonald steadied the ship and notched up a 30 runs stand. Blake Macdonald tried to press the accelerator but was caught at long on. In walked Captain Marcus Stoinis. He was the only batter who got the measure of the wicket. Quickly rotated the strike and found some key boundaries to calm the nerves. Rogers continued to give his captain the strike and made sure the dots did not stack up.
Rogers was dismissed for 32 and Stoinis walked off with an injured thumb for 23. However, Tom Curran saw the side over the line eventually with two flashy boundaries. The pick of the bowlers for the Strikers were Liam Scott (2-8) and Hasan Ali (1-21).
Player of the Match: Tom Curran
Tom Curran (POTM): "(On securing a finals place) Yeah, absolutely. The table is getting tight. So we knew, tonight was a big game and now the last game is crucial to get into that top two.
(On his all-round performance) Yeah, very pleased, nice to contribute. Like I said, big game for us. So, one to go down to Perth and yeah, hopefully get into top two.
(On his batting) Yeah, obviously a bit easier down the order but no, there was definitely a bit in the wicket. A bit of variable bounce. But yeah, I thought we bowled well nicely. Always niggly chasing these totals. To get the runs, it is a big win."
(On his all-round performance) Yeah, very pleased, nice to contribute. Like I said, big game for us. So, one to go down to Perth and yeah, hopefully get into top two.
(On his batting) Yeah, obviously a bit easier down the order but no, there was definitely a bit in the wicket. A bit of variable bounce. But yeah, I thought we bowled well nicely. Always niggly chasing these totals. To get the runs, it is a big win."
The 'G laid out a carpet that tested the batters today. With scores of 200 being breached day in day out, it is fun to have matches like this where the bowlers have a say. The Melbourne Stars came up trumps, and they have knocked the Adelaide Strikers out of the tournament. Only 6 teams remain in the race for the top 4 spots!
We move to Hobart tomorrow for a much-awaited Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat clash.
On that note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Ajay Pal Singh, Ashok Dayma and Aman. B-Byeee!!!
We move to Hobart tomorrow for a much-awaited Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat clash.
On that note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Ajay Pal Singh, Ashok Dayma and Aman. B-Byeee!!!