BiAs the Melbourne Stars achieved the third greatest total in T20 cricket, Glenn Maxwell crushed the Hobart Hurricanes with the highest ever score in KFC BBL history.
Maxwell thrashed Hobart’s attack to all four corners of the MCG in an incredible 154 not out off 64 balls, surpassing Marcus Stoinis’ 147 not out in BBL|09.
Stoinis (75no off 31) was on the other end as Maxwell equaled his teammate’s record, and the two exchanged a tremendous smile and a glove punch as the Stars’ captain equaled his teammate’s record.
The two put up an unbroken 132 for the third wicket as the Stars completed their season in style by recording a Big Bash record total of 2-273, despite the fact that they were out of the playoffs race.
Only Afghanistan and the Czech Republic have scored greater in T20 cricket, both with 278 runs, and it easily surpassed the Sydney Thunder’s 5-232 from previous season.
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The win improves the Stars’ BBL|11 record to 7-7, bettering the Adelaide Strikers’ 6-8 record, which placed fourth and qualified for the finals courtesy to the 10 Bash Boost points they gained in 14 games.
Maxwell’s record-breaking knock came in “very happy” conditions, according to Stoinis, but he wishes it had arrived in a better situation than a dead rubber.
“We basically just talked about Maxi before the game and how it was his 100th game, which is a huge accomplishment,” Stoinis said afterward.
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“It was fun to watch Maxi do his thing… he put on a great show for the audience. It’s great to see Joe (Clarke) get off to such a strong start again; we’ve unearthed a true gem there.”
After Hurricanes captain Matthew Wade decided to field first in the third match of a BBL triple-header on Wednesday, Maxwell opened the batting for the fourth time in a row and partnered Clarke (35 off 18).
Hobart, who might have moved above the Strikers to fourth with a win, chose to rest Ashes hero Scott Boland, who was still suffering from discomfort after the fifth Vodafone Test in Hobart, because there was no advantage in playing their final on Friday night at the MCG anyway.
Riley Meredith and Tom Rogers, both speedsters, were also rested for the same reason.
Maxwell and Clarke piled up 97 runs in just seven overs, appearing to aim to hit every ball into the crowd in order to end the tournament on a high note.
In his second century of the tournament, the 33-year-old Australian superstar pulled out all the stops, with reverse ramps, switch shots, slaps over cover, and slices over third man all going to and beyond the rope.
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He hit the century in 41 balls, the second-fastest in the competition’s 11-year history, trailing only Craig Simmons’ 39-ball ton in January 2014.
Maxwell finished the tournament with 468 runs, second only to Ben McDermott, who scored 55 (33) in the very impossible pursuit.
The Stars were without Nick Larkin (3), but that only drew in Stoinis, who smashed half a dozen sixes in his own blistering knock, while Maxwell smashed a record 22 fours and four sixes.
The Hurricanes used eight different bowlers, but they all gave up more than 10 runs per over, with Josh Kann’s two overs costing them 40 runs.
McDermott got off to a good start with four sixes of his own, but wickets kept falling around him, and the chase was finished when he was out in the 12th over.
As the Hurricanes fell 106 runs short on 6-167, D’Arcy Short was the second highest scorer with 41 not out, while Brody Couch finished his breakout season with 3-30 and 16 wickets.
Maxwell’s century was the “most spectacular thing” he’d ever seen on a cricket pitch, according to McDermott, who has played some incredible Big Bash knocks of his own.
He said, “I don’t think anything will top it.” “It was the perfect storm; we didn’t bowl well, and he bowled like he was on fire, totally extraordinary, world-class.”
The Stars will reflect on what could have been in BBL|11, and if it hadn’t been for a mid-season COVID outbreak that disrupted their momentum when 13 players tested positive, they could have easily been a title contender.
When the Hurricanes face the Strikers in the Eliminator final at the MCG on Friday night, they’ll have to lick their wounds quickly.
