Glenn Maxwell's Performance Leads Melbourne Stars to Victory

Glenn Maxwell’s All-Round Performance Leads Melbourne Stars to Victory

In a match that was halted by weather, Maxwell took three wickets and then hit an unbeaten 35 off 18 balls to lead his team home.

(Cricket News) In a rain-affected match against the Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Stars captain Glenn Maxwell guided his team to victory for the second time in as many games. Stars bowled the Hurricanes out of 155 before foul weather enveloped Blundstone Arena during the interval, reducing the target to 67 runs from seven overs using the DLS method.

Maxwell began the chase with Sam Harper but was left stranded at the bowler’s end when Hurricanes quick Riley Meredith ignited the hosts with two wickets in the opening over on Thursday night.

After a slow start to the season, Maxwell and Thomas Rogers guided the Stars home with back-to-back victories after Meredith sent the opening ball of their innings down the leg side for a wide.

Maxwell had earlier taken three wickets to help restrict Hurricanes to a modest total. Marcus Stoinis was out three balls later in much the same manner. When Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis bowled Hilton Cartwright in the next over, Stars were reeling at 6 for 3.

“I took a risk to get myself going,” Maxwell said to Fox Sports. “With that little bit of drizzle and that rain, it actually changed the pitch, I was able to get the ball to skid on a bit faster. You get a couple of lucky wickets with just timing.”

After Macalister Wright misplayed a waist-high full toss off Usama Mir to Stoinis diving low at deep midwicket, Hurricanes were bowled out with two balls remaining. Blake Jewell kept the momentum going for the Hurricanes, smashing three straight boundaries off Beau Webster in the ninth over.

After getting a hand on the ball to stop it from going to a certain boundary, the Hurricanes opener scared the Stars camp with a sharp straight drive off Maxwell. The offspinner then responded with a delivery that darted a straight ball into Jewell’s pads, trapping him lbw for 45 off 37 balls and starting a collapse in the middle order.

Nikhil Chaudhary looked like he would rescue the hosts with positive play, taking ten runs off two balls from Rauf. However, the fast bowler responded by taking pace off the ball as Chaudhary swung hard again but was caught in the deep for 32 off 16 balls before the rain came.