Aaron Finch's unbeaten 67 led Melbourne Renegades to a nine-wicket win over the Stars in a match that will be remembered for an ugly spat between Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels.
In front of a domestic Twenty20 record crowd in excess of 46,000, the Stars reached 9 for 146 in their innings in which six of their top seven were dismissed between 10 and 30.
The Renegades comfortably reached the total with seven balls to spare with Warne taking the only wicket to fall, Alex Doolan (30).
This brought Samuels to the crease and almost immediately there was a confrontation with Warne.
Angry at the batsman having obstructed David Hussey running during the Stars' innings, Warne grabbed at the West Indian's shirt and the pair exchanged angry words.
Moments later Warne, in an apparently deliberate act, hit Samuels with the ball when fielding near the batsman.
This led the Renegades batsman to throw his bat in the air and invite Warne to engage in an extended physical exchange.
Warne, who declined Samuels's offer, is likely to be censured for his actions as may Samuels, who later top-edged a bouncer from Lasith Malinga into his face, forcing him to leave the field retired hurt for 17.
Speaking to Fox Sports after the match, Warne sought to downplay the incident.
"I tried to throw the ball to (keeper) Bobby Quiney and the next minute I decided to get out of the way of that bat," Warne said.
"I'm more disappointed that we lost, that was just a heat of the moment thing.
"That's just the way it goes, I hope he's OK."
Samuels is reported to have suffered a busted eye socket, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament.
Peter Nevill (24 not out) gave Finch solid support as the Renegades romped to victory.
The Renegades have extended their lead at the top of the Big Bash League and are now guaranteed a place in the top four.
To reach the top four, the Stars must beat the winless Sydney Thunder, albeit without internationals Lasith Malinga, David Hussey, Clint McKay and Glenn Maxwell - and possibly a suspended captain.
Tags: cricket, sport, twenty20, melbourne-3000 First posted January 06, 2013 22:44:54
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