Brisbane Heat 163 for 2 (Peirson 72*, Bryant 36*, Stoinis 1-20) beat Melbourne Stars 162 for 6 (Harper 46, Clarke 32, Bartlett 3-25) by eight wickets
Injury-hit Brisbane Heat kicked off their BBL title defence with a crushing eight-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars at the MCG. Chasing Stars' 162 for 6, Heat cruised to victory with 11 balls to spare as wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson (72 not out) batted for the entire innings to post his highest BBL score.
Peirson combined for an unbeaten 78-run stand with Max Bryant (36 not out) to deflate Stars, who were pegged back by Xavier Bartlett.
Stars looked uninspired in the field, creating few chances, with Heat appearing in charge of the chase from the outset. It leaves the Stars, perennial under-achievers, winless after their first two games in BBL 2024-25 following a defeat to the Perth Scorchers on Sunday night.
Missing English recruit Tom Alsop (quad), star import Colin Munro (hamstring), as well as star quicks Spencer Johnson (toe) and Michael Neser (hamstring), Heat handed debuts to Daniel Drew and Tom Whitney.
Jack Wood, who played the last of his two previous BBL games in 2022, opened with Peirson, compiling an important 27. Wicketkeeper Sam Harper top-scored for the Stars with 46, but was bowled by Matt Kuhnemann when he seemed set for a big total.
In his 100th game for Stars, captain Marcus Stoinis took down Paul Walter for 16 runs in one over, but then picked out Wood to be dismissed for 26 during the first ball of the power surge.
Hilton Cartwright made 15 for the Stars, just three days after he was taken off Optus Stadium on a medi-cab and placed in a neck brace following an awkward dive in the field. Cartwright was released from hospital after being cleared of a serious neck injury following the incident.
In better news for Stars, allrounder Glenn Maxwell has declared himself a certain starter for Friday night's clash with Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval. Maxwell, 36, injured his hamstring playing in a T20 for Australia in November in a major blow for his ambitions of being picked for next year's Test tour of Sri Lanka. But he had a bowl at the MCG before Stars played the Heat, later saying he would be fit to return against Strikers.
Heat will be next in action on Sunday when they host Strikers at the Gabba.
