Melbourne Stars 165 (Maxwell 90, Duckett 21, O'Neill 2-16, Zampa 2-23) beat Melbourne Renegades 123 (Seifert 26, Steketee 5-17, Paris 3-13) by 42 runs
Glenn Maxwell produced an extraordinary innings, farming the strike and smashing ten sixes in a brilliant 90 off 52 balls, to keep Stars' BBL season alive after they defeated Renegades in the Melbourne derby.
Stars' finals hopes appeared over at 75 for 7 after they were sent in to bat at a closed-roofed Marvel Stadium due to stormy weather in Melbourne. Maxwell's thunderous batting flipped the match on its head to lift Stars to 165 and a stunned Renegades fell well short in the chase.
After losing their first five matches, Stars have won four in a row to remain a chance of reaching the finals while it was a costly defeat for Renegades (placed at the bottom with a 3-5 win-loss record) in a disappointment for much of the 38,000 crowd.
Maxwell puts the cape on
Stars' season appeared to be petering out as their powerful top-order fell apart. Opener Ben Duckett had been boom or bust this season, but played himself in as he eyed a significant contribution in his last BBL match before departing for the ILT20.
Duckett made 21 off 14 balls before miscuing a slower ball to long-on, while skipper Marcus Stoinis tried to counterattack. He blasted quick Tom Rogers in a mighty blow that almost hit the roof but was caught at long-on. It was a dismissal that even left tennis superstar Novak Djokovic gobsmacked as he watched on in the terraces as Stars slumped further.
Their hopes rested on Maxwell, who has a knack of producing miracles, and he delivered yet again. There were echoes of his famous World Cup double-century against Afghanistan in Mumbai as he hogged the strike and backed himself to smash sixes.
He cracked a personal T20 record of 10 sixes, including a 122-metre strike off quick Kane Richardson over deep midwicket, while he laced Will Sutherland for three consecutive blows into the crowd.
Maxwell effectively targeted legspinner Adam Zampa down the ground and also unfurled trademark switch-hits in one of his best T20 innings.
In scenes more reminiscent of Test cricket, Maxwell refused singles in a strategy that paid off spectacularly. He added a BBL record eighth-wicket partnership of 81 with Usama Mir, who played something of the Pat Cummins role from Mumbai. Mir was scoreless and faced only five of the 46 balls in the partnership, but held up his end.
Maxwell deserved a century, but chopped on to Richardson at the start of the final over to end one of the most surreal innings played in BBL history.
Renegades' attack starts hot before succumbing to Maxwell
Rogers has painful memories of the last Melbourne derby, played just eight days ago. He was thrashed at the death by Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright as Renegades let a match slip at the MCG.
But he got a big boost after being the hero with bat and ball in Renegades' comeback victory over Perth Scorchers in Perth. His confidence spilled over when he dismissed Sam Harper plumb lbw on the match's first delivery.
Recalled-quick Fergus O'Neill justified his selection with the pivotal wicket of Duckett then nicked off Thomas Rogers for a golden duck. He almost claimed a hat-trick when Stoinis hit just short of a diving Richardson at mid-off.
O'Neill cleverly bowled subtle variations to finish with 2-16 from 4 overs and finished his spell before Maxwell's carnage started. Renegades' attack were then helpless and rattled by his tactic of declining singles.
Sutherland, a youthful captain, has been a revelation in his first season as skipper but a few times did appear asleep at the wheel as Maxwell found singles with ease at the end of overs.
In a worry for Renegades, Richardson appeared to injure his hamstring and was unable to complete the final over of the innings.
Steketee steps up after wayward start
Veteran quick Mark Steketee has taken 11 wickets in four matches since being selected in Stars' line-up. But he could not find his radar initially with wayward new-ball bowling that threatened to undo Stars' momentum.
Steketee turned it around later in the second over after finally finding a straighter line that led to the dismissals of openers Marcus Harris and Josh Brown. He returned in the eighth over to pick up Jake Fraser-McGurk, who briefly threatened, before left-arm quick Joel Paris tore through Renegades' middle-over. Steketee added two more wickets at the backend to finish with 5 for 17.
Fraser-McGurk misses opportunity, debutant Dixon shows glimpses
If Renegades don't make finals, they will rue an inconsistent batting effort. Fraser-McGurk has particularly struggled with his highest score this season being just 26.
He looked less manic at the crease on this occasion as he eyed ending his slump. He finally made his move when he blasted allrounder Beau Webster for a six over wide long-on, but it proved a tease as he holed out to end his 17-ball 19.
Renegades were in massive trouble at 44 for 4, but they still believed after the Sutherland-led chase against Scorchers. They took the Power Surge, however, Sutherland was bowled by evergreen quick Peter Siddle in the 13th over to effectively end the 'Gades hopes.
Debutant Harry Dixon, an under-19 World Cup winner for Australia, had an impossible task but did underline why he's highly-touted with several flowing stokes.
But the left-handed Dixon, whose elegant style at the crease has shades of Shaun Marsh, holed out on 13 where Maxwell, fittingly, claimed the catch to cap his special night.
