Stars roar, Scorchers smashed in BBL rout

The match in a tweet: Scorchers lose 9-47 in epic collapse to hand ladder-leading Stars monstrous win at Perth Stadium #BBL09

The Score: Perth Scorchers 10-86 (Inglis 37; Coleman 3-16, Lamichhane 2-7) suffer an eight-wicket loss to Melbourne Stars (Stoinis 39no; Marsh 1-15, Ahmed 1-25) with 48 balls to spare.

The Hero: Recalled for his first match of BBL09, Jackson Coleman was brought on as the Stars’ sixth and final bowling option and started his night with a wide. Coleman soon changed his fortunes, snaring the huge wicket of Scorchers captain Mitch Marsh with his third (legal) ball. The left-armer removed Tim David with the first ball of his second over and continued his golden run when he bowled debutant Jaron Morgan with a perfect yorker. Coleman finished his night with 3-16 off three overs (including four wides), but most importantly he initiated the huge collapse that turned the match heavily in the Stars’ favour.

The Supporting Cast: It’s not often you see a double wicket maiden in Twenty20 cricket but that’s exactly what Sandeep Lamichhane produced to wrap up the Scorchers’ innings faster than their tail-enders could believe. The Nepalese leg-spinner built pressure on English import Chris Jordan with a few dots before he forced him to hole out to long on. His next ball was a pearler, with Jhye Richardson failing to pick the wrong'un, having his stumps rattled as a result. Lamichhane couldn’t convert the hat-trick, but finishing with 2-7 off three overs is certainly something worth smiling about.

The Consolation Act: Coming off a player-of-the-match display, Josh Inglis continued his strong BBL campaign with a quick-fire 37 off just 19 balls. The entertaining knock included four fours and two sixes – but would end up comprising nearly 50 per cent of the home side’s total. When Inglis fell to Stars captain Glenn Maxwell, the Scorchers slumped to 3-48 and never bounced back, losing their next seven wickets for 38 runs. The collapse made the wicketkeeper’s knock a shining light in an otherwise underwhelming display.

The Big Moment: Last time the Scorchers were at Perth Stadium their captain Mitch Marsh put on an unbeaten 93-run masterclass. Tonight, he gave Dan Worrall some overhead catching practice, when he sliced Coleman to backward point to depart for just seven runs. The prized wicket reduced the Scorchers to 4-58, with David and Morgan to come. It was a significant turning point that ultimately saw the Scorchers’ youth collapse under the extreme pressure before the side could even hit triple figures.

The Big Over: Although David and Morgan are very inexperience campaigners, their dismissals in the same over was a huge loss for the Scorchers. The double blow saw Perth fall from an already ugly position of 4-64 to an irrecoverable 6-68. Coleman’s double strike proved the difference between bowling the home side out for under 100, and Perth having something of a total to bowl at.

The Banter: Call him 'the Hulk', the 'current golden cap wearer' or 'the big Stoin' – everyone knows who he is and what he can do. Marcus Stoinis is like no other when he gets going – and his celebrations are even bigger than his on-field displays. The West Aussie is no stranger to Perth Stadium, having played state cricket for at the venue a few times. When he stuck a brilliant, long-hanging catch to combine with his fellow WA teammate Nathan Coulter-Nile for the first wicket, he turned straight to the crowd to let them know about it. 'The Stoin' was pumped, with the impressive catch breaking the Scorchers’ biggest partnership.

The Stat: The Scorchers went from 1-39 in the fourth over, to 6-68 in one of the most rapid batting collapses we’ve seen this season. Thirty-six balls of pure carnage saw the home side lose 5-29 before the innings was halfway through. Spare a thought for the debutant who was down to bat at seven, coming to the crease in just the tenth over with his side in dire trouble. 

The Other Stat: During Stoinis’ innings, he notched 500 BBL runs this season – and he’s still got four matches to go.,plus finals. A simply remarkable effort, with plenty more to come before the end of BBL09.

The Next Stop: A re-match. After being stranded in Melbourne yesterday due to a cancelled fight, the Scorchers jump back on another flight to head back to Melbourne. So too do the men in green, with these sides set for another meeting in the Stars’ backyard on Saturday. The 3:40pm (EDST) clash at the MCG will be the first of a double-header, with the Sydney derby to take place afterwards.

Scorchers XI: Liam Livingstone, Joshua Inglis (wk), Cameron Bancroft, Mitch Marsh (c), Cameron Green, Tim David, Jaron Morgan, Chris Jordan, Jhye Richardson, Joel Paris, Fawad Ahmed 

Stars XI: Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Ben Dunk, Glenn Maxwell (c), Sebastian Gotch (wk), Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Daniel Worrall, Jackson Coleman, Haris Rauf, Sandeep Lamichhane