Strikers hold nerve to topple Stars in BBL nail-biter

The match in a tweet: Strikers supreme! Wells and Siddle the stars as Adelaide overcome unbeaten Stars #BBL09

The score: Adelaide Strikers 4-174 (Wells 68no; Lamichhane 1-15) def Melbourne Stars 6-169 (Maxwell 43, Handscomb 34; Siddle 3-24) by five runs

The hero: It has become something of a Big Bash cliché to label Jono Wells 'underrated' but nevertheless it remains very much the case. Wells came to the middle with the Strikers 3-53 inside the Powerplay, and together with Alex Carey, steadied the ship in the middle overs before accelerating hard towards the close. The diminutive right-hander took Nathan Coulter-Nile for 15 from the final over and finished unbeaten on 68 from 46 balls. It was a match-defining innings and one that also meant Wells has 140 runs in BBL|09 without being dismissed. 

The supporting cast: Peter Siddle (3-24) was superb in tying up the Stars early in their chase, conceding just five runs from two overs and claiming the wicket of Hilton Cartwright in the process (more on Siddle below). As always, Rashid Khan then weaved his web through the middle overs, going for a run a ball and taking the key wicket of Peter Handscomb just as the Stars batsman was looking to put the foot down. 

The consolation act: Glenn Maxwell is in some kind of form. The right-hander's time away from the game appears to have revitalised him – and given him clarity with his batting. With the Stars requiring 74 from the final six overs, Maxwell looked like snatching a miracle win. He took 28 from the next two overs to turn the match on its head, racing to 43 from 25 balls with four sixes before he chopped on attempting a switch hit.

The big moment/s: We mentioned Siddle's early impression but the veteran seamer stepped forward when it mattered most in the dying overs, with a rampant Maxwell in complete control. In the 18th over of the Stars' pursuit, Maxwell's attempted switch hit came off the toe of his bat and bounced onto the stumps. The Stars rallied thereafter via Nathan Coulter-Nile and Ben Dunk, and with six required from the final two deliveries, it was Siddle who again stepped forward, bowling Dunk to all-but hand his team the win. 

The big over: Jake Weatherald welcomed Dale Steyn to the Big Bash in spectacular style, hammering the Proteas legend for 6,6,4,4 from the second to fifth deliveries of his first over for the Stars. Typically, Steyn won the battle, removing Weatherald next ball, though the Strikers opener did enough to claim the BKT Golden Cap for most runs in the tournament to date (146), one run ahead of teammate Alex Carey at the close of the innings. 

The stat: Maxwell is now tied equal-second with Aaron Finch for the most BBL sixes, with 69, though they trail Chris Lynn's 135 by some distance.  

The next stop: The Stars travel to Launceston for a clash with the Hurricanes on December 30, and the Strikers host the Thunder a day later in their traditional New Year's Eve match at Adelaide Oval.