The aptly-named Melbourne Stars have always boasted a multitude of big-name players and consequently have been one of two teams to feature in every finals series since the Big Bash League was established in 2011.
But this record is likely to come to an end this season. This shouldn’t be the case.
Prior to this campaign, the Stars added Ben Dunk – the competition’s leading run-scorer in two of the last four seasons – to a squad already containing Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, Marcus Stoinis, James Faulkner, Pete Handscomb, Luke Wright and Rob Quiney.
So what has gone wrong for the Stars, who now sit at the bottom of the ladder, winless after four games? Ironically, one problem has been their batting.
It started at the Gabba, against the Heat in December, when Dunk was dismissed for a duck, with the wickets of Pietersen and Maxwell soon to follow. All three were caught after impatiently hitting the ball in the air, searching for a boundary. This was a common theme in the first three games of the season, as they botched what should’ve been an easy run chase at the WACA, before failing to set a decent total against the Heat at the MCG. The batsmen were throwing away their wickets, and the team was paying for it.
The first Melbourne derby of BBL07 briefly followed the same trend, when opener Luke Wright hit a Dwayne Bravo delivery high into the air and safely into the hands of Tom Cooper on the last ball of the third over. However, fans were pleasantly surprised as they watched Ben Dunk and Kevin Pietersen bat patiently together for nearly eight overs, in a partnership that delivered 71 runs off 48 balls. Pietersen departed after a respectable 40 runs, and Dunk followed not long after with 47.
[latest_videos_strip category=”cricket” name=”Cricket”]
Despite these wickets, the Stars were still in a healthy position. Maxwell and Stoinis, two superstars of limited overs cricket, came to the crease with 106 runs on the board, 41 balls remaining and seven wickets in hand.
Maxwell and Stoinis continued at a steady pace, as spectators waited for a late flurry of boundaries. But it never came.
For the first time this season, the Stars had been in a position where they could live by the sword and afford to die by it, but Stoinis, in particular, almost refused to play risky shots. After three batting collapses in three games, they seemed too timid to have a bash.
The middle order had now gone to the opposite extreme, focussed more on not losing their wicket than posting a competitive total. At the rate Stoinis and Maxwell scored at the end of the innings, you’d have been forgiven for thinking there were still five or ten overs to come.
Melbourne’s green team made just 157 runs at 7.85 an over, despite losing only three wickets in the first 119 balls of the match. Accomplished batsmen Peter Handscomb (who has a BBL century to his name) and James ‘The Finisher’ Faulkner did not even get to face a ball, and fans were left wondering why Maxwell and Stoinis did not push for a score upwards of 170.
The Renegades, whose bowlers had been somewhat mediocre, escaped with an extremely beatable target, despite several shocking fielding mishaps.
The second problem became evident when the Stars came out to field. John Hastings replaced David Hussey as captain going into the 2017-2018 season, and quickly drew criticism for his fields. Aaron Finch, Cameron White and Mohammad Nabi exploited this intelligently, finding gaps with ease and taking easy singles as the Renegades cruised to an easy win with 13 balls to spare.
It was just the second Renegades derby victory since January 2013.
A seventh consecutive finals berth is not quite impossible, but very unlikely. The Stars will probably have to win all six of their remaining games to qualify. Whether or not they manage it, there is plenty of room for quick and easy improvement for Melbourne’s traditionally stronger team.
The stars are there, they just need to align.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
A relieved Sam Harper insists his health has turned a corner after suffering a "grim" concussion while training with the Melbourne Stars. The wicketkeeper…
James Vince has dined out on the Melbourne Stars attack again, leading the Sydney Sixers to a crucial seven-wicket BBL win. Vince was man…
Sam Harper has been cleared of a fracture and soft-tissue damage after being struck in the head at Melbourne Stars training and hospitalised. Former…
Captain Glenn Maxwell has celebrated his 100th BBL game for the Stars with all-round excellence in their Melbourne derby win over the Renegades. Everything…
Marcus Stoinis blasted his way back to form by helping the Melbourne Stars pull off their greatest BBL run chase in a seven-wicket win…
Controversy erupted in the Big Bash League after Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques appeared to take a stunning catch - and injure his shoulder - to remove Melbourne Stars opener Tom Rogers.
