BBL 2024-25 Stars vs Heat Highlights: Peirson, Bryant Consign Stoinis’ Stars To Second Straight Defeat

Brisbane Heat defeated Stars in match 4 [Source: @BBL/x]

Brisbane Heat started off their BBL title-defence with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Marcus Stoinis-led Melbourne Stars at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 18. Heat opener Jimmy Peirson made lightwork of a competitive target with a scintillating fifty and delivered the knockout punch in the penultimate over.

Here’s the timeline of how STA vs HEA panned out at MCG:

Stars vs Heat Highlights: Sam Harper Reforms Stars With Clarke After Rogers Setback

Turning up on home turf against defending champions Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Stars lost opener Thomas Rogers for just a single in the third over with a ‘Jaffa’ from Xavier Bartlett. Number three batter Sam Harper rectified Stars’ faltering start through a 54-run consolidation with Joe Clarke.

Clarke cracked two boundaries in his well-compiled 32, while Harper ended up top-scoring for the Stars with 46 runs off 36 balls.

Stars vs Heat Highlights: Stars Flourish At The Death Despite Bartlett’s 3-Fer

Tom Whitney and Matthew Kuhnemann picked up the wickets of well-set batters Joe Clarke and Sam Harper in successive overs to tilt the momentum back in Brisbane Heat’s favor. For the Stars, captain Marcus Stoinis (26 off 17) and Beau Webster (28* off 19) carted swift 20s in the backend to surge the hosts to a competitive 162-6 by the completion of their innings.

In quest of quick runs, Stoinis got holed out by Jack Wood at deep mid-wicket as Heat quick Xavier Bartlett finished his quota with astonishing figures of 3-25.

Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson, on the other hand, conceded just 15 runs from his four overs with the bonus scalp of a well-set Hilton Cartwright.

Stars vs Heat Highlights: Wood’s All-Out Attack Sets Up Exciting Chase

Brisbane Heat opener Jack Wood thwarted Melbourne Stars new ball attack alongside opening partner Jimmy Peirson with a quick 55-run stand. Wood smeared three boundaries and a six in his rapid 27-run powerplay knock before he was bowled over by Hamish McKenzie in the eighth over.

Unbeaten Peirson raged on with number three Matt Renshaw to take Heat to 84-1 at the halfway stage of the innings.

Stars vs Heat Highlights: Peirson’s 72*, Bryant’s 36* Wins It For Heat

Marcus Stoinis curtailed Matt Renshaw’s threatening stay for a 10-ball 18 to prompt Max Bryant’s arrival to the crease at 85-2 in 10.2 overs. Bryant and unbeaten Jimmy Peirson motored Brisbane Heat past the Melbourne Stars total with eight wickets and nearly two overs to spare.

The two cricketers muscled 78 runs together from just 47 balls, with Peirson whacking an unbeaten 72* off 56. The Heat opener glittered his run-chase masterclass with five boundaries and two sixes, while Bryant made 36* from 22 balls with three boundaries and a maximum.

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