Strikers into first after hammering Stars

The score: Melbourne Stars 6-151 (Maxwell 60, Stoinis 39; Khan 1-23) lost to Adelaide Strikers 2-152 (Carey 59no, Head 53; Maxwell 1-24) by eight wickets with eight balls remaining

The match in a tweet: Stars trounced! Perennial semi-finalists go zero from five as Strikers stroll to five from six and jump into top spot #BBL07

The heroes: The Strikers lost Jake Weatherald for 18 but that only brought together Alex Carey and Travis Head, and the dynamic duo put together a superb stand to take the match away from the Stars in a hurry. Carey (59no off 52) played the anchor role, though he still motored along at better than a run-a-ball, while Head (53 off 31) was explosive at No.3 as he geared up for ODI duties next week with a brilliant performance.

The support cast: Rashid Khan took 1-23 and the Afghan leggie continues to bewitch all and sundry with his clever variations and unerring accuracy. Michael Neser (1-29) was another who was economical as the Strikers bowlers again produced a strong all-round effort to restrict the Stars. 

The consolation effort: Glenn Maxwell looks to have found his rhythm in the T20 format. The right-hander combined the textbook with unorthodox to push Melbourne to a competitive total after they lost three wickets in the PowerPlay. 

The turning point: Marcus Stoinis was looking red-hot after being promoted to the top of the order in place of Englishman Luke Wright, until he spooned a simple catch to long off from the bowling of Rashid. Stoinis had sped to 39 from 28 and was hitting the ball incredibly cleanly, having found the ropes seven times and cleared it once. But he was undone by Rashid, who has made a habit of taking key wickets in BBL|07 and proceeded to turn the screws on the Stars.

The stat: Of the bowlers to have sent down 15 overs or more, Rashid has the best economy rate in the tournament – a highly impressive 5.20 runs per over.

The shot: Simply outrageous from Maxwell.

The Fantasy wrap: Maxwell collected himself a massive 111 points, Head was next best with 85, while Stoinis's all-round efforts earned him 79. 

The silly point: What about this from KP? He survived an lbw shout and a near run-out, only to be knocked over two balls later in a bizarre little sequence.

The next stops: The Stars return home to face the Renegades on Friday night in the Melbourne derby at Etihad Stadium, while the Strikers' next assignment is against the Scorchers out at Alice Springs. 

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