A look at the BBL match between Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes, with particular focus on one of the worst major T20 innings ever played by anyone, an effort from Beau Webster than unquestionably cost his side the match. Also a photo gallery.
While listening to commentary from the Australian Open tennis this morning I had a cricinfo tab open to enable myself to keep an eye on goings on in the BBL match between Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes to decide fifth and six spots in the table.
THE HURRICANESINNINGS
Ben McDermott and Matthew Wade led the way for the Hurricanes after Melbourne Stars put them in to bat. A late flurry from Nathan Ellis, 16 off five balls including two sixes gave Hurricanes 187 to defend, a good but not invincible total.
THE STARS RESPONSE
Glenn Maxwell (32 off 18), Marcus Stoinis (48 off 32) and Hilton Cartwright (14* off eight) all batted well for the Stars, yet in spite of these three doing what is required when chasing a big target Stars never at any stage of the chase looked like favourites. The reason for this was the innings played by Beau Webster. Even with a six off the last ball of the match, by when it was already lost, Webster only boosted his score to 55* off 43 balls. For the majority of his innings his SR was actually less than 100. The result of this piece of stat padding by Mr Webster was that although only four Stars wickets fell in the course of their 20 overs they were beaten by seven runs, to end up sixth in the table. Nathan Ellis, whose late cameo had given the Hurricanes total what proved to be a vital boost, was also the pick of the bowlers, taking 2-29 from his four overs, and was deservedly named Player of the Match. Webster meanwhile has to be regarded as the antithesis of the Player of the Match – his innings cost his side the match. A full scorecard of the match can be viewed here.
An account of today’s BBL match between Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers. Also a photo gallery.
This morning UK time Melbourne Stars hosted Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. This post looks back at the match.
THE STARS INNINGS
Glenn Maxwell scored 31 off 14 balls, but no one else in the Stars line up came close to firing on all cylinders. Off spinner Todd Murphy bowled superbly and was rewarded with 2-15 from his four overs. Sean Abbott, the leading wicket taker in BBL history, would have been extremely disappointed to record 4-0-36-0 in a moderate opposition total. Stars finished with 156-4, the kind of total no team should ever record in a T20 innings – to bat through the whole 20 overs losing only four wickets and finish with a run rate of under eight an over is unacceptable, and I fully expected this total not to pose any great threat. Cricinfo’s ‘Win Predictor’ tool was slightly less scathing in its assessment than me, giving Sixers an initial 61% chance of a successful chase to Stars 39% chance of a successful defence.
THE SIXERS REPLY
Sixers started fairly slowly, but safely. The loss of Philippe to the penultimate ball of the opening Power Play made it 29-1, at which point Daniel Hughes joined James Vince. By the halfway point this pair were still together, though the required run rate had climbed to 8.90 per over. The 11th and 12th overs started to swing things firmly in Sixers favour, and then, with Vince and Hughes still together they took their Power Surge, very well timed in my estimation. Of course taking those two overs of Power Surge at a sensible time is only half the equation – you then still have to make full use of them. Sixers did exactly that, scoring 29-0 from the two overs in question, to be 122-1 after 14 overs. This meant that the RRR was below six an over, with the CRR up at 8.71, and barring a spectacular crash of wickets the game was as good as done – Sixers might conceivably have lost it from there, but Stars could not win it without the assistance of their opponents. In the event Sixers were icy cool, and by the time Vince was out for a superb 79 the target was down to 18 off 3.4 overs with seven wickets left. There were still seven wickets standing when Jordan Silk calmly turned the first ball of the 19th over into the leg side for the winning runs. A single would have been enough as scores were level by then, but the ball actually ran away for four. The only stage at which Sixers looked like they were other than in total control of the situation was when Maxwell was going well early in the Stars innings – even when they were significantly behind the required rate at the halfway stage of their innings they had nine wickets standing. The timing and use of the Power Surge were exemplary, realizing that they were superbly placed to take it at the end of the 12th over and not delaying in the hope of being even better placed later. Wickets can be lost in the Power Surge, but I have also seen wickets fall when a team delays the Power Surge and I would always prefer a team to be overbold about taking it than overcautious. Sixers are now very well placed to qualify for the KO stages, while Stars are very unlikely to do so – they would need to win all their remaining games and have a few other results go their way into the bargain. One other small point: in spite of the fact that most of the problems in both innings were caused by slower bowlers Stars opted to give Jonathan Merlo (right arm medium fast) his first over in this season’s competition, which worked out horrendously, costing 13 runs. Since Merlo was officially scheduled to bat at number nine, the fact that he hardly bowls, which today’s effort made only too easy to understand, this raised the question of just what he was doing in the XI.
A look at today’s Melbourne derby in the Big Bash League plus some photographs.
This morning’s live BBL radio commentary saw the two Melbourne sides, Renegades and Stars face one another. Stars following Heat’s win earlier were languishing at the bottom of the heap, Renegades one of a number of sides battling for qualification slots (Only Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers are genuinely comfortably placed to qualify).
THE RENEGADES INNINGS
Renegades batted first, and they started dreadfully, managing just 17-1 from their four overs of opening Power Play. They began to recover in overs 5-10, reaching 63-3 at the halfway stage of their innings. The second half of their innings was a massive improvement, a well timed Power Surge continuing the recovery, and then a magnificent late innings from Jonathan Wells helping to boost their final total to 161-7.
THE STARS RESPONSE
Stars began their reply sensationally, passing 80, with all their wickets standing in just the eighth over. Once the first wicket fell however, they were unable to maintain the momentum, and began to lose wickets at regular intervals. Not even the assistance of two balls hitting the closed roof of the stadium and being thus awarded six a piece did much for the second half of the Stars innings. A succession of overs in which runs weren’t scored and wickets fell ultimately saw the Stars needing 12 from the final over to win. Nick Larkin, the sole remaining batter of any substance, made a complete and utter mess of playing that final over. He declined singles off the first two balls, wishing to keept the strike for himself, but then took the single off the third, leaving a tailender on strike with 11 needed off three balls. A run out off the fourth ball did at least get Larkin back on strike, but 11 were now needed off two balls. Larkin hit the first for four. The final ball of the match was full, just wide of the stumps, but not enough so to be called a wide, and Larkin ridiculously failed even to get bat to it, the resultant dot giving Renegades victory by six runs, boosting their qualification hopes and pretty much exterminating such qualification hopes as Stars had still retained. Arguably Stars were favourites to win right until the start of the 19th over of their innings, at which point they needed 15. Good teams go all out to break the back of things with an over to spare in these circumstances, and it was really this over, with only three runs coming it from it that killed the Stars. This loss will be hard to recover from because Stars will know that they should have been comfortable winners.
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