Super Stars win last-over thriller after COVID chaos

Joe Clarke crushed his fourth straight half-century as the Melbourne Stars bounced back from a crippling COVID outbreak to down the Adelaide Strikers in a low-scoring thriller.

The Stars welcomed back six players on Monday night at the MCG after 13 squad members tested positive to the virus over the past week, which ultimately led to two postponed games and consecutive losses to the Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades.

Stand-in skipper Adam Zampa, who replaced Glenn Maxwell as he recovers from the virus, elected to bowl first and led from the front with 2-24 from his four as they restricted the Strikers to 9-139 from their 20 overs.

Regular wickets jolted any momentum the Stars were able to build in the run chase as Clarke (83 off 58) struggled to find an ally.

With 31 required from the final three overs, Clarke took Harry Conway for 14 runs off the 18th to give the hosts the upper hand.

He then survived a line-ball no-ball call that he spooned to mid-off before crunching Strikers' captain Peter Siddle straight back over his head for six to reduce the equation to seven from eight balls.

Siddle claimed his wicket on the next delivery but Afghan spinner Qais Ahmad hit the first ball of the final over for six to cancel out any late jitters from the Stars batters as they snuck home with five balls to spare.

Clarke whacked three boundaries and four sixes as he backed up his previous three knocks of 52, 85 and 52, an impressive return having just left isolation after also contracting the virus.

Clarke said he was "so proud" of his teammates, many of which had just finished seven days of isolation.

"A few of the boys were really sick actually so to come out tonight and to get four points is a real credit to everyone," he said on Fox Cricket after the game.

"I've got to give credit to all the staff and all the players in this group, they've been unbelievable after obviously a slow start (to the tournament).

"They still backed me and gave me confidence … that I can do the job that I'm over here to do."

Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan, in his first ever game at the MCG, was the pick of the Strikers bowlers as he conceded a miserly 16 runs off his four overs while also taking the wicket of Joe Burns.

Earlier, Jon Wells (68) played a lone hand for the Strikers, who lost in-form batter Matthew Renshaw to a positive COVID diagnosis before the match, the first Adelaide player to contract the virus so far this season.

Wells was circumspect throughout much of his 56-ball stay, taking a particular liking to young quick Xavier Crone, who went for 13 runs off his solitary over.

But the highlight of the Strikers innings was the last three balls when speedster Haris Rauf (2-25) bowled Harry Nielsen and Siddle in consecutive deliveries before Conway was run out off the final ball of the innings to complete a team hat-trick.

Ahmad (2-21) was also economical from his four overs on a pitch offering plenty of assistance for the spinners, with the trio of Ahmad, Zampa and Clint Hinchliffe sending down 12 of the 20 overs.

The win elevates the Stars off the bottom of the KFC BBL|11 table as they leapfrogged the Strikers into seventh spot.

The Stars will be required to back up less than 24 hours later when they take on the Scorchers tomorrow afternoon in Geelong, while the Strikers face the Heat at the Gabba on Wednesday.