Heat beat Stars to keep finals hopes alive

Updated January 04, 2013 09:50:49

The Brisbane Heat weathered a Lasith Malinga onslaught before keeping their Big Bash finals hopes alive with a 24-run victory over the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba.

In a match where tempers frayed between Australian one-day teammates Clint McKay and Dan Christian, the Heat (5 for 171) ended the Stars' four-match winning streak with a spirited comeback on Thursday night.

Super slinger Malinga continued his destructive BBL form with an amazing 3-0 from his first 10 balls to have the home side staring at a sub-par total of 140.

But thanks largely to Shane Warne's rusty fielding and Chris Lynn's late-innings hitting, Brisbane set a respectable target which couldn't be reined in.

Dropped by Warne, his second embarrassing miss in the field, Lynn (26 not out) then helped peel off 17 runs off the final over by Malinga (3-26).

Heat skipper James Hopes followed his 49 with the bat to take 3 for 28 with the ball in a man-of-the-match performance which tormented the Stars' international-quality line-up.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, in his last match for Brisbane, chimed in with 3 for 18 as the visitors were kept to 9-147.

A big crowd of 24,500 - the biggest of the season at the Gabba - lapped up the result which moves the Heat to fifth on the table with 3-3 record.

The Stars (4-2) remain in second place on eight points.

Emotions boiled over in the Heat innings when McKay and Christian engaged in a heated exchange, trading insults from close quarters, after the batsman prevented a run-out with his running line.

Warne, who won the toss and bowled first, showed his own lack of confidence in the field by calling Luke Wright to take a skied ball from Perera that landed where the 43-year-old had been standing.

Warne admitted the Stars let the home side off the hook following their impressive start.

"It was a little disappointing tonight in all three departments - our fielding and our bowling, we didn't quite get it right, and in our batting we lost wickets at crucial times," he said.

"Our last four overs went for 52 and 170 was a par score here as it was a really good wicket so we thought we could chase it down."

Hopes, who set the foundations with a two-paced 63-run second-wicket stand with surprise number three Chris Hartley, felt the Heat had some momentum after winning just one of their first four matches.

"It's a funny thing with our side, we tend to play our best when our backs are to the wall and we have to lose a few first to get on a winning streak," he said.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, brisbane-4000, melbourne-3000

First posted January 03, 2013 23:47:29

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Stars book finals spot with win over Strikers

Updated January 20, 2012 09:35:55

Two wickets, a catch and a batting rescue job from reliable David Hussey have delivered the Melbourne Stars an MCG win over the Adelaide Strikers and a Big Bash semi-final berth.

The Stars, who chased down the Strikers' 125 all out with six wickets and seven balls to spare on Thursday night, will now play the Perth Scorchers in one semi-final at the WACA on Saturday night, with the Hobart Hurricanes to host the Sydney Sixers a day later in the other.

Hussey carried his side home with an unbeaten 41 from 36 balls, with captain Cameron White (28 from 30 balls) the main support.

The Strikers' dismal total batting first, kept low by seamer Clint McKay's 3 for 17, should have made for an easier Stars run-chase.

But they slumped to 3 for 38 inside seven overs.

The slump started with a piece of stunning reflex fielding by Nathan Lyon, to run out opener Rob Quiney (two) off his own bowling.

When Luke Wright (nine), coming off the tournament's highest individual score, and Adam Voges (16) also fell quickly, the game was up for grabs.

The turning point came at the start of the ninth over, with the Stars on 3 for 39.

Hussey mistimed a shot down the ground from ex-Victorian team-mate and legspinner Bryce McGain.

Had it been caught at long-off, the Stars would have been in a huge hole.

Instead, it just cleared fieldsman Alfonso Thomas and the boundary rope, helping the Stars to 12 from the over.

Some loose bowling by newly-signed New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin soon after further swung the match the Stars' way and put Hussey and White on track for a pivotal 64-run stand.

Earlier, Callum Ferguson (41 from 29 balls) played a lone hand with the bat for the Strikers.

The match was played in front of 26,133 spectators, which took the competition's regular season crowd aggregate to 504,663 from 28 games.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 19, 2012 22:06:31

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Sixers stay in finals contention

Updated January 11, 2012 08:05:01

Sydney Sixers spun their way to an emphatic 64-run victory over the Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL) match in Adelaide.

The Sixers reclaimed third spot on the ladder after suffocating the Strikers, who crashed to 87 all out from 18.4 overs when chasing 152 to win.

Spinners Steven O'Keefe (3 for 20), Nathan McCullum (2 for 8) and Stuart MacGill (2 for 12) created havoc, as the Strikers slumped to their fourth loss in six BBL outings.

The Strikers' run chase never recovered from 6 for 52 in the 10th over, a collapse triggered by the Sixers' O'Keefe .

The left-arm tweaker claimed three wickets in his initial three overs, while fellow spinner McCullum grabbed two of his own.

Man of the match O'Keefe was rapt with the blow-out margin.

"I guess in Twenty20 matches, they can go that way if you get on top early, like we did," O'Keefe said.

"We weren't expecting to roll them for 87 at all."

Adelaide lost 5 for 25 in that match-defining period, before MacGill cleaned up from his four wily overs.

The Strikers' gun openers Michael Klinger (duck) and Daniel Harris (9) were silenced and their mid-order misfired without Callum Ferguson, who was axed after 38 runs in five matches.

Left-hander Aiden Blizzard loomed dangerous with 27 from 21 balls but inexplicably popped the softest of catches to wide mid-on.

Blizzard was the only of the Strikers' top six batsmen into double figures, with Adam Crosthwaite the second-highest scorer with 13.

Earlier, the Strikers contained the Sixers to 8 for 151 from 20 overs with imported paceman Alfonso Thomas a stand-out.

The South African claimed 3 for 24 while Brendan Drew (1 for 26), Daniel Salpietro (1 for 28) and Aaron O'Brien (0 for 26) delivered tidy four over stints.

Moises Henriques top-scored with 42 from 37 but, like his team-mates, was largely unable to break free of tight bowling.

First drop Nic Maddinson was at ease in making 31 from 20 balls before slicing to point and McCullum (20 not out from 19 balls) was next best.

The Sixers lost 4 for 23 in a middle order slump of their own, but their bowling brigade covered for a win which took them to eight competition points, the same as leaders Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers.

Strikers captain Klinger apologised to the crowd, and his bowlers, for the weak batting display.

"Our top seven (batsmen) owe a lot of apologies," Klinger said.

"It seemed like any semi risk we took, we got out."

AAP

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, adelaide-5000

First posted January 10, 2012 22:37:16

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