11:12pm And...breathe. A dramatic game that ebbed and flowed, and ended with the Thunder trumping the Stars. The job is not done for them, though, and they now have their eyes set on a Sydney Smash a couple of days from now, which will also confirm who faces the Hobart Hurricanes in the final. We hope to have your company for that game too, and until then, this is goodbye from Chandan and myself. Take care, folks!

Sowmya : "Take a bow Nathan McAndrew ! 5 wicket hauls in T20s are rarer than T20 hundreds! That you delivered the KO punch on the stars made it even more special "

Nathan McAndrew, Player of the Match: Bit of a bowler-friendly wicket out there. (Stars) Had a couple of quality batters, Maxwell and Stoinis were looking dangerous. We held our nerve, spinners bowled beautifully. It was so loud we could not hear the nick (of Handscomb). Awesome atmosphere. They (the fans) have been behind us for a number of years. We have played finals cricket but have not had many at home. We love playing here and the atmosphere this year has been unbelievable. We knew it was defendable. Some of the wickets were pretty crucial with a small total. The powerplay was going to be a dangerous period, it gets harder after that. we knew if we got a couple of early wickets, we would be in it. Once we got Maxi, that sort of went a long way (to completely killing the game). He (Warner) has been unbelievable. He has been so invested, he has been loving his time. We, as a group, owe it to give it back to him and hopefully we can do so.

11:05pm Would 135 be enough? Did the Sydney Thunder have enough of a bowling arsenal to tie down the Stars' firepower? Well, they did, and they had plenty left in the tank. A 21-run win, in a game where the team batting first scored 135, tells a story in itself, and is a glowing assessment of just how well the hosts bowled. McAndrew was the star of the show, bagging a five-for, en route the best-ever figures by an ST bowler in the BBL. The spinners, at times, were unplayable too and whenever the Stars started amping up the pressure, the Thunder found a way to strike back.

Speaking of the Stars, they felt too reliant on Maxwell and Stoinis. While the two were out there, it seemed the total was within grasp, despite Stoinis struggling. Their captain then fell and that was followed by a flurry of wickets, which made the lower order's task very tough. Cartwright, Steketee and Warren gave it a rattle but in the end, it was not enough.

Siddle is the last man in

The last two overs have kept the Stars in touch. 24 needed off 12