Melbourne Stars 153 for 5 (Lawrence 64*, Stoinis 62, Bartlett 4-10) won Brisbane heat 149 for 7 (Bryant 77, Walter 21, Steketee 2-42) by five wickets
The Stars defeated defending champions Brisbane Heat by five wickets at the Gabba in a huge victory after losing their first five games this season and the last three of last year’s campaign.
Stoinis defeated Paul Walter for four fours in one and led the chase to perfection, hitting anything loose to secure his first win this season as Stars captain. Lawrence upped the ante at the end to take the pressure off Stoinis in a class innings.
Maxwell has performed a host of extravagant acts of genius in T20 cricket, but he took it to the next level with an all-time classic catch, his fourth in the innings.
The 36-year-old jumped meters over the long limit to catch the ball with one hand before throwing it back onto the pitch while in the air. He then calmly backed over the boundary rope to complete the catch and send a stunned Will Prestwidge (4) on his way.
The ball turned from the beginning and justified Stoinis’ decision to send to Heat.
Heat captain Colin Munro (1) continued his poor form in the BBL this summer and now has 23 runs in four innings. Fellow opener Tom Banton (13) took the second early wicket for Mark Steketee against his former franchise.
When veteran Peter Siddle cleanly bowled Nathan McSweeney (9) with the first ball of his spell, the hosts were on the shelf.
Walter (21) threatened to break free before Bryant took charge, charging Steketee for three sixes and three times bowling Siddle into the crowd twice with massive hits. He finished with six maximums in a scorching knock that included raw power and deft ramp shots to give his bowlers a total to defend.
But Stoinis and Lawrence intensified the run chase to condemn the defending champion Heat to their third straight loss.
