BBL 2019-20 | Stars vs Thunder - Ask Me Anything ft. Nic Maddinson's no-show and Super Nick Larkin
There we go. The Final for the 2019/20 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) is set and the Sydney Sixers will take on....Oh you thought I'd reveal? Nah, go through the article please. In this edition of 'Ask Me Anything', I've charted out every detail in the match to make life easier for all of you.
So what happened at the bat flip?
Skipper Glenn Maxwell won the bat flip and, no prizes for guessing, elected to bat first. Not like the fact that they lost their last 4 matches chasing played a part in that decision. Nope. Not at all.
Oooh. Before I get to The Stoin, what about Nic Maddinson? There was talk that he was going to get dropped. Wasn’t he in horrible form heading into this game?
I have no idea why the Stars persisted with Nic Maddinson yet again, but anyway, they did. And I’m afraid he let down the team once again, scoring just 11 runs before holing out to Daniel Sams attempting a wild heave. So with this, he’s now scored 143 runs in 13 innings this season at an average of 11.
Did the Stoin get back to his best? He was off-colour in his last 3 matches
You betcha. Of course, he did. How can you stop the Stoin from going bonkers at the MCG? He scored a 54-ball 83 and was at his usual thing - tonking bowlers all over the G - to push the team total to 194. And oh, he also now holds the record for the most runs in a single BBL season - 695. Not bad, eh?
Stoinis being The Stars’ best batsman yet again? I’m not surprised
What? When did I say that? Don’t jump to conclusions, please. It was Nick Larkin AND NOT MARCUS STOINIS who was the Stars’ best batsman today. 83* off just 49 balls and he freakin stayed till the very last ball and paced his innings to perfection. To rub salt on the Thunder’s wounds, can you guess where he’s from? Yep, that’s right. New South Wales.
Oh, shoot that’s caught me by surprise. What about The Big Show then?
He just got six balls to bat, my friend. And you know what? I’m not even kidding, he was genuinely out-batted by Nick Larkin today.
Okay. We’ve been talking too much about the batsmen. What about the Thunder bowlers?
Thank you. I’m glad you asked the question. But there’s nothing much to say about them, you know. Chris Morris was the ONLY bowler who took wickets for them. He accounted for the wicket of both Maddinson and Stoinis. Everyone else were whacked around by Stoinis and Larkin, quite literally.
How can it be possible that Daniel Sams DID NOT take a wicket?
I know. Crazy, right? He got to the coveted ‘30 wickets’ mark in the last game, but sadly that’s what he’s going to end up with. He, in fact, got a proper battering today, conceding 41 off his 4 overs. Larkin, in fact, scored 17 runs off Sams’ final over, which was incidentally the final over of the Stars’ innings.
Anyway, was there one particular shot that caught your attention? Like something that made you go WOW?
So good!
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) February 6, 2020
Stoinis somehow gets under the yorker and storms into the 80s! #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/4nZzXschBl
Watch it for yourself and decide it, friend.
195 was the target, right? Another Alex Hales special in the BBL, was it?
Oh well, we all were expecting the same, too, but Nathan Coulter-Nile had other ideas. He sent the stumps flying to send Hales pack to the pavilion for just 8 runs. Plot twist: It was a run-out.
WHAT? Hales scored just 8? What about Uzzie then? I know he’s a GOD in BBL knockout games
He did start off well and it looked like he was once again going to own the stage, but oh well, just not his day. Uzzie departed for a 15-ball 23 after having his stumps rattled by Nathan Coulter-Nile. And no, no plot twists here. It was not a run-out.
Pffffft. Did skipper Ferguson take charge then?
NO. NO. AND NO. His dismal form continued today. He was undone by a Haris Rauf bouncer. Not the first time we’ve heard of it, is it? Oh, by the way, you wouldn’t wanna know about Ferguson’s recent scores in the competition. It reads 7, 1, 33, 9*, 12, 4, 8*, 7, 7, 35 and 5.
Disappointing! I really expected big things from the Thunder today. I didn’t know that they’d fold like this.
Didn’t I tell you already NOT to jump to conclusions? So what if the Top 3 gets out? Did you forget that they have the ever-so-reliable Alex Ross at their disposal?
Uhhh. Alex Ross….Yes...Wh...what did he do?
First, he arrested the collapse, then he built his innings, after which he switched gears to take the fight to the Stars.
Holy.. Was he there till the end? And who supported him?
Unfortunately, no. He holed out to Nic Maddinson at deep trying to take on Zampa and the man who supported him, Arjun Nair, too, perished trying to do the same. Their 58-run partnership took the game within striking distance for the Thunder, though.
Okay, you’re making me nervous now. PLEASE TELL ME WHO WON THE MATCH.
Chill, chill. Sams, who has been terrible with the bat this season, was the Thunder’s only hope this season anyway and he, too, perished trying to hoick Coulter-Nile out of the ground. It was a result of a fantabulous previous over from Haris Rauf, though. Rauf conceded just 3 runs in that over. Anyway, in case you haven’t realized it yet, YES. MELBOURNE STARS ARE THROUGH TO THE FINAL!
Oh wow, they managed to NOT CHOKE for once. Anyway, what did you think was the turning point?
We’ve to go all the way back to the FOURTH over of the Stars innings for that. Morris bowled a loose delivery outside leg stump, Stoinis nicked it and guess what? THE WICKET-KEEPER PUT DOWN A SITTER. The wicket-keeper of all people. There was no way The Stoin was NOT going to punish them after that.
Soooooo. It’s Sixers vs Stars in the Final then
Yep. The Stars will be out for revenge on Saturday. But remember, the match will be played at the SCG, the home ground of the Sixers. I’m not sure if a performance like today will be enough for the Stars to win their maiden title, but hey, they have given themselves every chance to script history, though. Fair play for them for not losing hope and reaching their second final in a row.
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