After the first match for the day between Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes, it was time for Brisbane Heat to lock horns with Melbourne Stars in Big Bash League (BBL) 2019-20. The match was nothing less than a roller-coaster ride for the fans. However, the Stars defeated the Heat by 22 runs in their opening match of the season.
After winning the toss, Brisbane Heat decided to field first and the decision went right that their bowlers scalped important wicket of their in-form batsman Nic Maddinson in the second over of the innings. The left-handed batsman tried to slice the ball to get a boundary off Matthew Renshaw but was caught at the point by Josh Lalor. Marcus Stoinis also failed to convert his good start and was dismissed by Ben Cutting.
At that time, Glenn Maxwell made his first appearance in a high profile tournament after coming out from his indefinite mental break. However, he played a swashbuckling knock of 83 runs off 39 balls with five big sixes and seven boundaries. His magical knock helped Stars in posting a competitive total of 167 runs in their quota of 20 overs.
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Coming onto the chase, Heat for the second time in a row got off to a worst possible start and lost their opener, Max Bryant, in the 3rd over of the match. The latter struggled a lot to score runs and under the pressure, he played a mistimed shot against Haris Rauf and was caught by Handscomb behind the stumps.
Chris Lynn again failed to prove his worth as he scored just 6 runs before his inning came to a halt. Adam Zampa bowled a brilliant delivery as he tried to play a lofted shot over the long-on for a six. But, Lynn failed to middle the ball and ended up giving a regular catch to Ben Dunk near the boundary line.
However, from one end, Tom Banton was playing the role of sheet anchor and was hitting Stars bowlers in every direction of the park. It looked like he might help Heat to win their first game in BBL 2019-20. He played a good knock of 64 runs off 36 balls with six boundaries and four sixes. Zampa again helped his side to get an important wicket of Banton, which sucked the momentum of the innings.
The Stars bowling unit did a commendable job and successfully defended a total of 167 runs against the heavy-duty batting line up of Brisbane Heat. Adam Zampa finished the innings with brilliant bowling figures of 3/30. He was well supported by Haris Rauf and Daniel Worrall from the other end and took two wickets each. Maxwell got Man of the Match award for his magical knock.
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The fans congratulated Melbourne Stars for convincingly winning their opening game of BBL 2019-20. Maxwell was also poured with wishes from every nook and corner for his brilliant performances in his comeback match after recovering from his mental health issues.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
8️⃣3️⃣ from 3️⃣9️⃣ balls
Glenn Maxwell, take a bow 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/ERJDGXelyY
— ICC (@ICC) December 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/sumantharya18/status/1207970482193981441
What an entertainer!! #bbl09 #maxwell
— Nick Zouros (@NickZouros) December 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/MohanKandy/status/1207959291983847425
What an innings. Queensland ground looks double of chinnaswamy. Only maxi is able to cross the rope. Lynn and cutting should come good to chase down that total #BBL09 #BHvMS #Maxwell
— Switch Hit (@Tagore_RT) December 20, 2019
Stand an Delivered by Maxwell.. #BBL #BHvMS #Maxwell
— Akshay (@akshay_lutade) December 20, 2019
Kings XI punjab must be feeling a sigh of relief after spending 10 crores on maxwell… fantastic innings by him in BBL #BigBashLeague #IPL2020Auction #Maxwell
— Bellaciao (@marketisking) December 20, 2019
Banton goes big for Brissie but cant match Maxi's Melbournians
Stars win by 22 runs
🌞 8/145 (20)
⭐️ 7/167 (20)#BBL09 #BBL #BRHvMLS #BigBash #Cricket pic.twitter.com/8kwMTjVhrI— AR Shongoo (@AliRaza99832526) December 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/ashmin777/status/1207986334150754304
