BBL 2024-25 Stars vs Sixers Highlights: Maxwell, Stoinis Spoil Vince 53 As Stars Defeat Sixers

Glenn Maxwell celebrating his fifty against Sydney Sixers [Source: @BBL/x]

Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis light up at the MCG as the Melbourne Stars continue BBL 2024-25 season with newfound winning ways. The two charismatic all-rounders, coupled with Peter Siddle and Usama Mir, consigned the Sydney Sixers to its second straight defeat of the season.

Here’s the timeline of how Stars vs Sixers panned out at the MCG:

Stars vs Sixers Highlights: Stars Totter At 60-4 Around Halfway Stage

Melbourne Stars lost four its top five batters, including in-form Englishman Ben Duckett, within just the first 10 overs of the match. Duckett cracked a couple of boundaries and a six in his 14-ball 20 before the left-hander chipped one straight towards James Vince at mid-on off Sean Abbott. His opener partner Sam Harper also failed to lead his team to recovery as a flatter fourth-stump delivery from Jack Edwards accounted for his downfall in just the second over of the innings.

Dan Lawrence (14 off 13) and captain Marcus Stoinis (4 off 9) were also dismissed by Hayden Kerr and Abbott in quick succession as the hosts slipped to 60-4 around the halfway stage of the innings.

Stars vs Sixers Highlights: Maxwell Fireworks Catapult Stars To Respectability

Batting at number six, Glenn Maxwell raised Melbourne Stars’ scoring rate during his 88-run fifth-wicket partnership with Beau Webster. The Australian legend smeared three sixes and five boundaries in his 32-ball knock of 58*, and notched up the 3,000th run of his BBL career in the process.

Beau Webster employed a more cautious approach from his end as his wicket-preserving act fetched him 48 runs from 41 balls before Sean Abbott (3-29) snared his third wicket of the evening.

The Melbourne Stars eventually concluded their innings at 156-5 after Abbott and Hayden Kerr (1-24) bowled a couple of tight overs towards the end.

Stars vs Sixers Highlights: James Vince Sets Up Exciting Chase With Flourishing Fifty

Even though the Sydney Sixers lost opening batter Josh Phillipe to a clean-up job from Mark Steketee early in the innings, James Vince kept the chase alive through some enterprising stroke-play in the powerplay overs and beyond. Vince shared 34 quick runs with number three Kurtis Patterson (18 off 18) before the latter was caught plumb in front by Usama Mir in the ninth over of the innings.

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Sydney Sixers’ England-based opening batter went on to make 53 runs from 44 balls with six fluent boundaries to take his team to the brink of the 100-run mark in less than 14 overs. However, Marcus Stoinis tilted the tide back in Melbourne Stars favor with the wickets of Vince and rival skipper Moises Henriques in the space of just three deliveries.

Jordan Silk at number five also made his way back to the middle as he was castled by evergreen Stars paceman Peter Siddle for the Sixers to crash from 96-2 to 97-5 in 14.2 overs.

Stars vs Sixers Highlights: Mark Steketee Keeps Sixers Down With Tight Last Over

Sydney Sixers failed to recover from its middle-order collapse as they ended up falling short of the Melbourne Stars by 16 runs. Reaching 140-9 from 20 overs, the Sixers lost Jack Edwards to an economical Usama Mir (2-19) along the way while new ball operator Mark Steketee fetched himself two lower-order wickets in the final over of the match.

Ageing warhorse Peter Siddle also grabbed his second wicket of the evening in the form of Ben Dwarshuis to claim match-winning figures of 2-26.

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