The Coin Toss
Stars captain Cameron White won the toss and decided to bat first on a typical bouncy and fast pitch at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The First Innings
The Melbourne Stars, thanks mostly to Rob Quiney and David Hussy put on a batting master class, suited right down to the ground for the explosive Twenty20 form of the game. Nathan Hauritz got a couple of wickets early on, but Quiney and Hussy pulled away and put on a partnership of over 100 before the next wicket fell. The Stars run rate was constantly up around 10 runs an over, with Quiney smashing some of the biggest hits ever seen at the Gabba. After Hussy held out to the fielder, Hauritz came back into the attack, and got a crucial wicket of Cameron White. At this point the Heat were slowly putting a bit of a hold back onto the Stars who up until now had been running rampant on the scoreboard.
Ryan Harris made his return to cricket in this match, eager to cement his place in the Boxing Day test match. His form was ok, although he did bowl some poor balls costing his side a few boundaries. Melbourne’s opening batsmen, Rob Quiney had to be the standout of this innings, putting on one of the best attacking displays the KFC Big Bash has seen so far this year. At one stage the score was looking like it will go over 200, but the Brisbane Heat managed to bowl brilliantly in the last period of the innings and put a good hold on what had been a rampant Melbourne Stars display.
Rob Quiney finished up on 97, and the Stars set a challenging total of 177 at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The Second Innings
The duo of Brendon McCullum and Matthew Hayden looked very dangerous early on in the run chase. After just 3 overs, the pair had put on 40 runs and had got off to the best start they could have asked for. After Hayden’s dismissal, the Stars looked to be re invented and the pressure quickly began to mound on the Heat in front of their home crowd. Shane Warne finally got the wicket everyone had been waiting for in this Big Bash competition, he bowled out the danger man, McCullum who was playing very well until this point. Daniel Christian was the Heat’s last hope, and Warne managed to get him out as well putting the game pretty much out of reach for the Heat.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and at 7 down it was going to take a near miracle for the Heat to get back in the game. Off the last five overs the Heat needed over 60 runs at a run rate creeping up around the 12 per over mark. A good trying effort from the Heat in this run chase. They ended up finishing just 8 short, much closer than it was looking like they would be, but it was not enough on the night.
The Melbourne Stars won by 8 runs and have their first win of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash whilst the Brisbane Heat fall to their second straight loss.
