For just the second time this season, Hurricanes Captain, Pete Handscomb, won the toss, and elected to send the Stars into bat.
Whilst the decision yielded the wickets of Andre Fletcher (10), Nick Larkin (4) and Glenn Maxwell (6) cheaply, Stars opener Marcus Stoinis had other ideas. He smashed his way to an unbeaten knock of 97 off just 55 balls, in an innings that included 7 fours and 7 sixes. He did have cameo support from Nicholas Pooran (26 off 21) and Hilton Cartwright (36 off 24), but Stoinis’ eventual Player-of-the-Match performance led the Stars to a formidable total of 6-183 after their 20 overs.
Riley Meredith (2-25 off his four overs) and Nathan Ellis (3-31, also off four) were the pick of the bowlers for the ‘Canes, with both players bringing their tournament total to 12 wickets apiece by the end of the innings. This is also the equal-highest number of wickets to any bowler’s name so far in BBL|10, however with Meredith reaching the milestone first, the Golden Arm cap now sits with him (joint holders of the Golden Cap are not permitted).
When the second innings got underway, unfortunately for D’Arcy Short, his lean form with the bat continued, being dismissed for eight runs off 13 balls in the fifth over. His fellow opener in Ben McDermott, however, for the first time looked truly settled in his new role atop the order. Joined by Dawid Malan in the middle, the pair put on a 66-run partnership, before Malan was dismissed via lbw for 26.
Colin Ingram stepped in to fill the gap in the partnership in style however. Ingram made a quick-fire 17 off 13 balls, before being dismissed by a ripping catch on the boundary by Fletcher (a.k.a. ‘The Spiceman’) for what would otherwise have been a certain six.
When McDermott met a very similar fate on the opposite boundary just two overs later, The Spiceman had seemingly sealed the win for the Stars. McDermott’s 91 off 58 (in an innings that included 8 fours and 5 sixes) was so close to snatching the game from the visitors’ grasp, but it wasn’t to be. A true Captain’s knock of 21 off just nine deliveries from Handscomb almost got the ‘Canes over the line against his old team but it wasn’t to be. In the end, the Hurricanes finished the innings at 6-173.
Next up the Hurricanes will travel to Perth, where they will first meet the Sydney Thunder in a ‘neutral’ game at Optus Stadium.
The match – on this Thursday, 7 January - will commence at 3.10pm local time, and be broadcast on Channel 7, SEN and Foxtel.