The Stars, who began their campaign in some style took on the victorious Hurricanes at the Moe in Victoria. After winning the toss, the Stars got off to the best of starts with duo Nic Maddinson and Marcus Stoinis knocking the ball in the powerplay. After six overs, the duo got them off to the perfect start with 43 runs, with in-form Glenn Maxwell in the hut. Simon Milenko’s catch put an end to their momentum, as the Hurricanes clawed their way back into the game. With three wickets in five overs, the home side crashed to 127/4 from 81/0. However, late efforts from Hilton Cartwright and the set Stoinis ensured that the Stars got to 163 at the end of the first innings. 

It was extremely brutal and disappointing for the crowd to watch the second innings, with a performance that can be called as ‘shambles’ by the Hurricanes. Needing 164, the Hurricanes got off on the wrong foot, gave away cheap wickets in the powerplay exposing the inexperienced middle order to the wizardry of Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichane. If the wizardry was not enough, there was a walking bowling machine which could fire up 150kmph in the form of Haris Rauf. The Hurricanes threw the kitchen sink and their wicket in the 11th over against Rauf, losing three wickets in the same over. After the 11th over, the game was just a matter of proceedings as the Hurricanes folded at 111 to give the Stars a 52-run victory. 

Maxwell’s twin wickets in the powerplay were exactly where the Hurricanes gave up their run chase. Chasing 164, Short and Caleb Jewell put up an ordinary opening wicket partnership with only Jewell putting up a show at the Moe. Jewell scored three boundaries in the third over of the innings to give the tourists a good start. However, Short gave away his wicket a tame swipe at a delivery from Maxwell before the South African veteran David Miller turned out to be a walking wicket for the Stars. Two breakthroughs and crucial bowling in the powerplay never put the Hurricanes in a position to win the game as they faltered.  

D’ Arcy Short, after putting up an excellent performance against the Sixers earlier in the season, failed and failed big time. Short was crucial to the Hurricanes’ chances of taking a shot at the target set by the home side Stars. Short not only tamely pulled it straight to the fielder in the leg-side but also gave away his wicket to Stars’ all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. If Short had played the all-rounder better, the Hurricanes could have had a contest in hand as they succumbed to a defeat. 

Nic Maddinson and Marcus Stoinis opened the batting for the Stars and got them off to the perfect start possible. The duo mixed caution with aggression, with Clive Rose bowling in the powerplays. While they ticked Rose around the corner, pace from Riley Meredith and Thomas Rogers came on to bat so nicely, with 13-run over against Meredith in the 5th over of the innings. The duo scored 43 to ensure that the home side got off to a good start. 

Death bowling is an art, difficult to execute said the commentators, however, Hurricanes proved that they mastered the art in the death overs. Wide yorkers, slower deliveries and bouncers name it and the Hurricanes bowled everything at Stoinis and Hilton Cartwright. The floodgates never opened until the 19th over when Rogers came on to bowl. The Stars duo picked Rogers apart as 14 runs came off the over. Ellis then followed it up with a good over with the exception of the no-ball that fetches the Stars a six. 36 runs off the last five overs is not a bad job, Hurricanes. 

The Hurricanes were excellent on the field, be it proactive in chasing the ball or be it the athletic catches that they held on to following the powerplay. They set the tone and more importantly gave their bowlers the right platform to put more pressure. Simon Milenko got the ball rolling for the Hurricanes when he clung on to a sharp catch to dismiss Maddinson before Qais Ahmed turned the screws with his hand inches from the ground to dismiss the in-form Glenn Maxwell. Further, they followed it up with some sharp groundwork to restrict the Stars from getting to a 180. 

Haris Rauf turned the heat on the Hurricanes, becoming one of the revered ‘Stars’ in the Melbourne outfit. Rauf’s continued success with the ball puts Dale Steyn’s place in the Stars’ lineup in doubt. After picking up the wicket of Ben McDermott in his opening over with a bumper, the Rawalpindi pacer came back in the 11th over to put the Hurricanes batting order to rest. Another bumper, another wicket looked like Rauf was creating chaos at the Moe. Two quick pacy deliveries got the timbers rolling as he put a cherry with a slower yorker to pick up a fifer.