• Melbourne Stars defeated Hobart Hurricanes by 10 runs on Monday.

  • Marcus Stoinis scored a brilliant 97 off 55 deliveries for Stars.

BBL 2020-21: Melbourne Stars edge out Hobart Hurricanes in the last-over thriller
Melbourne Stars beat Hobart Hurricanes by 10 runs (Image Source: @StarsBBL)

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Melbourne Stars held nerves to defend the mighty 183 against Hobart Hurricanes in the last-over thriller at Bellerive Oval on Monday.

With the victory, the Stars have broken the wheel of three back-to-back losses in order to keep themselves alive for a place in the playoffs.

Defending 183, Stars started pretty well after Sam Rainbird drew the first blood in the fifth over when he removed opener D Arcy Short (8).

Ben McDermott (91) and Dawid Malan (26) then steadied the ship for Hurricanes as the pair put together a crucial stand of 54 runs for the second wicket. The well-made partnership was broken by Stars spinner Adam Zampa when he dismissed Malan in the 13th over.

On the other hand, McDermott continued scoring the boundaries and formed another vital partnership of 50 runs with Colin Ingram (17) for the second wicket before Andre Fletcher grabbed a beauty to sent Ingram back into the dugout.

Hurricanes then lost few more wickets as the game went to the final over with McDermott batting on 91 runs. However, another sensational take by Fletcher near the boundary rope ended McDermott’s fine innings.

Skipper Peter Handscomb tried his best to take his team over the finish line with a quickfire 9-ball 21, but it wasn’t enough. In the end, Stars won the contest by 10 runs.

Stoinis steamrolls Hurricanes bowling attack

Earlier, Marcus Stoinis with a sensational 97 from 55 balls helped Stars reach 183/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Stoinis, who missed good starts in the ongoing competition, finally found the golden touch as he clobbered seven fours and as many sixes during his unbeaten knock.

The right-handed batsman scored 18 runs from the last over to reach 97. He could’ve notched up a century with a maximum off the innings’ final ball but managed to grab just a couple.

Stoinis shared a 60-run partnership with Caribbean superstar Nicholas Pooran (26) after the Stars lost Glenn Maxwell (6) cheaply. Apart from Stoinis and Pooran, Hilton Cartwright also chipped in with valuable 36 from 24 balls including one four and three sixes.

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