Rawalpindi Rauf lights up BBL with magic spell

The match in a tweet: Melbourne Stars dominate Hobart from start to finish with Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and previously unknown fast bowler Haris Rauf leading a demolition job

The Score: Melbourne Stars 4-163 (Stoinis 81*, Meredith 3-27) defeated the Hobart Hurricanes 111 (Rose 32*, Rauf 5-27) by 52 runs with 24 balls to spare

The Cinderella Story: Haris Rauf has become an instant cult hero in the KFC BBL. But could the previously unknown Pakistani fast bowler from Rawalpindi who was plucked out of Tasmanian Premier Cricket last week really keep a fit South African superstar Dale Steyn on the bench? That's the conundrum now facing the Melbourne Stars, with Steyn declaring himself fit for the next match, but his replacement Haris Rauf has been on fire, making the most of his two opportunities.

Seven days ago, Rauf was bowling for the Glenorchy Magpies in Tasmania's first grade competition, furthering his T20 experience down under as part of a player development programme with Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalanders. Rauf was plucked from obscurity by the Melbourne Stars when Steyn was ruled out with a side strain, and has delivered in a big way.

In his debut against the Brisbane Heat he took 2-20 in four overs, but bettered that in spectacular fashion here, claiming 5-27 to claim the BKT Golden Arm cap as the competition's leading wicket-taker, lighting up Moe with his raw pace and exuberant celebrations.

In his first over he had Ben McDermott caught at mid-wicket, but his second over was one of the greats with three wickets falling to lock up the result for the Stars.

Mac Wright top edged to be caught behind and then Tom Rogers was knocked over with raw pace – a 147km/h thunderbolt shattering his stumps – before he showed his canniness by dropping the speed to 138km/h and getting a tough of nip off the seam to knock the off-stump out of the ground in beating Qais Ahmed's bat.

He completed the five-wicket haul in his fourth over with a delightful slower ball that dropped to 121km/h and proved far too good for Hobart tailender Nathan Ellis.

The Steyn situation: With Rauf shooting to prominence, here seems an appropriate spot to update on Steyn. The 36-year-old South African declared himself fit to play this match in Moe, but was left kicking his heels on the sidelines. The BBL rules dictate that teams must name a squad by 2pm the day before the match, with a maximum of two internationals.

The Stars played conservative and named Nepalese spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and Rauf in that squad, confining Steyn to the bench for the second straight match after he arrived from South Africa with a side strain.

"I was keen to play today, I'm not going to lie, I was really keen," Steyn told 7 Sport ahead of the match.

"I think that 24-hour rule does you in a little bit, I wouldn't have minded waking up today, coming to the ground, having a little bowl and giving the thumbs up. I've gone through my warm-ups and bowled and I'm fine, but it's obviously too late now. So (Friday) will be it for me."

Whether Friday will be it for Steyn remains to be seen, with the Stars only able to include two internationals in their playing XI, how they line up on Friday against the Adelaide Strikers remains to be seen.

The batting star: Marcus Stoinis looked set to be the star of the show for Melbourne but found his effort with the bat relegated by the exploits of Rauf detailed above. Stoinis started slowly but finished strong to bat through the innings for an unbeaten 81 from 54 balls. Stoinis has been dropped from both Australia's ODI and T20 sides in the past six months, and today was dropped off his first ball as Clive Rose put down a tough but catchable chance off his own bowling.

And he was dropped again on five when he mis-timed a shot and skied it only for the ball to fall safely between Riley Meredith and Qais Ahmed. But Stoinis, as he can do, quickly picked up the pace, bringing his fifty up with a boundary from 28 balls. He launched four sixes and seven fours in his knock, batting out the 20 overs to fire the Stars to a total that proved far too much.

The supporting cast: Glenn Maxwell made the brave call to open the bowling with himself, and it paid dividends for the Stars, as he was able to send down three tidy wickets in the powerplay overs and pick up two very handy wickets. First Maxwell picked up the key scalp of Hobart opener D'Arcy Short for just nine, coming just after wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb predicted the wicket while mic'd up on the telecast.

The second wicket was just as important as the vast experience of South Africa import David Miller didn't stop him dancing down the pitch, yorking himself and getting bowled by Maxwell, leaving the Hurricanes at 4-44 after six overs.

The consolation act: Not a lot to cheer about from a Hobart perspective in this match, but Hurricanes spearhead Riley Meredith continues to create a buzz about Australian cricket.

While he had a few moments he'd rather forget in the field – letting an edge off Stoinis fall between him and Qais Ahmed, and then a fumble on the fence to allow a boundary through, he was elite with the ball to pick up 3-27 from his four overs.

He had a little help with his first wicket, a brilliant catch from Simon Milenko helping account for Nic Maddinson, while Qais Ahmed dived forward running in from the boundary to pouch Glenn Maxwell for Meredith's second.

But his third was elite – a rapid 140km/h fast ball that beat Peter Handscomb for pace and flattened his off-stump.

The big moment: The Hurricanes gave Stoinis two lives early on, dropping him on zero and five, and it proved lethal as he went on to score 81.

The banter: Peter Handscomb was enjoying his connection to the commentary crew as the Melbourne Star's mic'd up player, happily having a chat and predicting Ben Dunk's wicket. When that happened next ball he couldn't wait to get back on the mic, screaming "keep coming to me boys, keep coming to me!".

The commentary crew duly obliged, and while Handscomb didn't pick it it happened again as Ben McDermott hit Rauf direct to Ben Dunk at mid-wicket. "Keep coming to me boys, things are happening," Handscomb said.

The next stop: Hobart will head home for their first game at Blundstone Arena on December 24 when they host the Melbourne Renegades in a Christmas Eve clash exclusive on Fox Cricket and Kayo. The Melbourne Stars will take themselves back to Queensland for their next match, a 'home' game at the Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium on December 27 against the Adelaide Strikers.

Melbourne Stars: Marcus Stoinis, Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Glenn Maxwell (c), Peter Handscomb (wk), Ben Dunk, Clinton Hinchcliff, Adam Zampa, Daniel Worrall, Haris Rauf, Sandeep Lamichhane

Hobart Hurricanes: D'Arcy Short, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott (c, wk), David Miller, Mac Wright, Simon Milenko, Tom Rogers, Nathan Ellis, Qais Ahmad, Clive Rose, Riley Meredith