Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, 56th Match: Thunder win close fought contest

It was a back and forth match as it came down to the wire, Sydney Thunder coming out on top winning by 3 wickets.

Match Summary

Melbourne Stars 119/7 (20 ov)

Sydney Thunder 120/7 (18.5 ov)

Sydney Thunder won by 3 wickets

SCORECARD

The KFC Big Bash League lived up to its reputation of being an exciting tournament with this match. The Thunder had a difficult start as they lost their key player David Warner early on with only 4 runs on the board. The rest of the team also faced difficulties and this made it hard for them to play with a sense of urgency throughout the match.

The Melbourne Stars were unable to put up a significant score and were outplayed by the Sydney Thunder. The Thunder's bowlers were able to effectively shut down the Stars' scoring opportunities, with only Thomas Rogers and Hilton Cartwright managing to perform well with the bat for the Stars.

Marcus Stoinis, an Australia international, was expected to make a strong showing, but his performance fell short of expectations. This season, Stoinis has been plagued by injuries, which have caused him to miss a significant portion of the Big Bash League tournament. The loss of the Stars' key player, Glenn Maxwell, has had a significant negative impact on the team, and they are weaker without him.

Usman Qadir, Thunder’s  leg-spinner, had a fantastic game and their captain Chris Green was able to keep the game under control. The surface at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is usually known for its favorable conditions for batting, unexpectedly favored spin bowlers. This made it difficult for the Melbourne Stars' Thomas Rogers and Hilton Cartwright to settle in, and they were unable to play their shots with the freedom they desired.

The Sydney Thunder's batsmen will be be aware of the challenging nature of the pitch when they go out to bat in the next ten minutes. David Warner, as Brad Hodge mentioned on air, is eagerly awaiting this opportunity. He previously had a successful outing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he scored a double century against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test.

In the run chase, the Stars bowlers performed exceptionally well throughout the innings, with captain Adam Zampa making important contributions along with key players Nathan Coulter-Nile, Luke Wood, and Liam Hatcher. The crucial moment for the Stars came in the 16th over when Chris Green missed an easy catch that was lobbed to Adam Zampa at short fine leg.

Daniel Sams capitalized on his chance and struck some magnificent boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile's deliveries. The Stars had previously been in control, securing wickets at regular intervals. The Thunder have now progressed to the playoffs, resulting in the Hurricanes being eliminated. 

Match Stats

Melbourne Stars Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Joe Clarke - 0.4 ov), 2-23 (Campbell Kellaway - 3.5 ov), 3-35 (Marcus Stoinis - 5.6 ov), 4-84 (Tom Rogers - 13.2 ov), 5-112 (Beau Webster - 17.6 ov), 6-112 (Hilton Cartwright - 18.1 ov), 7-112 (Nathan Coulter-Nile - 18.4 ov)

Sydney Thunder Fall of wickets: 1-4 (David Warner - 1.3 ov), 2-31 (Jason Sangha - 5.6 ov), 3-41 (Matthew Gilkes - 8.6 ov), 4-49 (Oliver Davies - 9.6 ov), 5-60 (Alex Ross - 11.5 ov), 6-80 (Ben Cutting - 14.4 ov), 7-104 (Daniel Sams - 16.4 ov)

 

Playing XI

Melbourne Stars: Joe Clarke(WK), Tom Rogers, Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Luke Wood, Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa(C)

Sydney Thunder: Matthew Gilkes(WK), David Warner, Jason Sangha, Oliver Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Nathan McAndrew, Chris Green(C), Gurinder Sandhu, Usman Qadir

Match Details:

Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 08:15

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Melbourne

Toss: Sydney Thunder won the toss & elected to field

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