Sydney Thunder 182 for 8 (Billings 72, Sangha 33, Webster 3-42) won Melbourne Stars 164 for 8 (Duckett 67, Stoinis 22, Agar 3-25) by 18 runs
After Thunder were sent to a flat Manuka Oval surface, Billings top-scored with 72 off 39 balls with 16 surviving a run when Stars did not appeal.
Warner again can’t fire, Billings makes Stars pay
Warner has brought a lot of energy since taking the Thunder’s leadership reins, but he still had to hit the bat. He looked determined on the second ball boundary and his offside placement was a feature.
Warner ran hard between the wickets and looked to rattle the bowlers with inventive strokes. His best score was a switch-hit for six off all-rounder Beau Webster, while adding 41 runs with Bancroft, who made an unbeaten 70 against Sydney Sixers.
Billings was given a big reprieve in the 13th over when he was short on ground on the non-striker’s side after a direct shot from Joel Paris hit the stumps, but Stars did not appeal.
“You’re kidding… that sounds good,” Glenn Maxwell smiled when he found out while speaking on the phone. fox sports transmission.
Billings made a half-century off just 29 balls but could not stay at the crease in the death overs after clipping a slower ball from quick Peter Siddle into his stumps.
“Actually, I did,” Billings laughed after being asked in the fox sports transmit if you knew he was out.
Usama redeems himself
Stars’ spirit sank in the fourth when Usama dropped Bancroft for 19 at short third after he lost his balance.
Usama came on in the sixth over and redeemed himself by bowling Bancroft with a quicker delivery. He fooled Ollie Davies on the next delivery by slowing down as he latched on to a strong return to his right before setting off to celebrate.
Usama failed to get a hat-trick and things got tougher for him later in the innings amid a Billings attack. Webster claimed three wickets after his release from the Australian Test team, but veterans Siddle and Joel Paris were the Stars’ most reliable bowlers as they mixed their paces intelligently.
Sangha suffers injury after picking up Maxwell
Warner’s aggressive captaincy paid big dividends after he resorted to Sangha’s handy leg-spinner in the ninth over of Stars’ chase with Maxwell fresh at the crease. Warner had been goading Maxwell, who couldn’t contain himself and mistimed himself to attack short fine leg.
Laughing Warner was overjoyed as Thunder celebrated wildly, but Sangha emerged cautiously upset with a biceps injury. He threw two more pitches before leaving the field and threw his cap in frustration as he entered the locker room.
Sangha suffered a bicep strain last month while bowling in the One-Day Cup as he faces a nervous wait over the severity of his latest injury.
Duckett fulfills again in vain
After smashing 68 runs out of 29 against Sixers, all eyes were on Duckett, who single-handedly kept Stars on the right path. He got an early reprieve when Billings dropped a thin bottom edge from all-rounder Daniel Sams behind the stumps with little chance.
Duckett made them pay because he seemed to be head and shoulders above his teammates. He batted calmly and mostly orthodoxly to reach his half-century off 37 balls.
But Duckett eventually fell to Sams as the Stars chase ran out of steam despite some late strikes from Webster.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth.
