Stars bring in New Year in style with club record run chase

Marcus Stoinis blasted his way back to form by helping the Melbourne Stars pull off their greatest KFC BBL run chase in a seven-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers on New Year's Eve.

After Chris Lynn (83no off 42 balls) and Matt Short (56 off 32) lifted the Strikers to an imposing 4-205 at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, Beau Webster (66no off 48) and Stoinis (55no off 19) silenced the bumper crowd of 42,504, raising victory with six balls remaining.

Stoinis, who entered the match with just 30 runs for the tournament at an average of six, battered the Strikers into submission, turning a formidable chase into a cruise.

With the match in the balance in the 18th over, Wes Agar was incensed when his full toss which Stoinis clobbered for four was deemed too high and a no-ball, softening the equation for the Stars.

But there was no luck required in the 19th as Stoinis, also the New Year's Eve hero from 12 months ago, crunched James Bazley for 6-2-4-6-6 for the win.

After Tom Rogers (8) departed cheaply, Dan Lawrence (50) – virtually straight off a plane as an overseas replacement player for departed Pakistani duo Haris Rauf and Usama Mir – lit up the powerplay.

But after bringing up a half-century on the same ball as he was dismissed, Lawrence walked off the park shaking his head after being run out in contentious fashion.

D'Arcy Short's bullet to wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen from deep square leg just beat Lawrence's lunge, but while the ball spilled out of Nielsen's gloves as the stumps were broken, the Englishman was given his marching orders by third umpire Donovan Koch.

Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell (27) miscued impressive leg-spinner Cameron Boyce (1-15 from four overs) to Adam Hose in the outer, but then Webster and Stoinis' fireworks show began.

Earlier, master blaster Lynn and captain Matt Short had the Strikers at one stage eyeing a total nearing 250.

After D'Arcy Short (25) spooned a return catch to spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, captain Short and Lynn smashed 83 off the next five overs and moved into first and second place on the competition's run-scoring leaderboard.

The skipper thumped three sixes before lofting a knuckle-ball from opposite number Maxwell (2-21) to Webster at deep midwicket.

Maxwell's knuckle-ball variation also claimed Hose (14) as the Strikers' progress stalled somewhat, but Lynn continued to fire against a depleted, rattled Stars attack.

The BBL's all-time leading run-scorer, Lynn belted four sixes and was well supported late by Jamie Overton, but no total was enough with the mood Stoinis was in.

KFC BBL|13 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	10	7	1	0	2	0.972	0	16
2 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	10	6	2	0	2	0.339	0	14
3 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	10	6	3	0	1	0.725	0	13
4 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	10	5	4	0	1	0.331	0	11
5 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	10	4	6	0	0	-0.268	0	8
6 Melbourne Stars Men STA	10	4	6	0	0	-1.051	0	8
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	10	2	6	0	2	-0.288	0	6
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	10	1	7	0	2	-0.652	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

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