Marcus Stoinis hammers BBL record 147 off 79 balls in Melbourne Stars victory

ESPNCricinfo: Marcus Stoinis set a new BBL record with a staggering 147 not out as the Melbourne Stars sent a statement to their rivals with a crushing win over the second-placed Sydney

Marcus Stoinis

Sixers at the MCG.

Stoinis smacked 13 fours and eight sixes in an extraordinary display, eclipsing D’Arcy Short’s previous record of 122. His 207-run stand with Hilton Cartwright was also the highest in BBL history overtaking the previous record of 172 held by Stars duo Luke Wright and Rob Quiney from 2012. He also faced 79 balls, the equal highest ever in a T20 game.

Stoinis told Channel Seven after his innings: “That’s just the most fun you can ever have in the world.”

It meant the Stars’ in-form captain Glenn Maxwell faced just two balls for the innings as they posted the third highest total in BBL history. Hilton Cartwright played a critical hand making 59 from 40 in a supporting role that won high praise from his skipper for holding his nerve given Stoinis dominated the strike.

Ben Dwarshuis broke an unwanted record for the Sixers, conceding 61 runs from his four overs, the most by any bowler in the BBL.

The Sixers were never in the hunt in the chase despite scoring quicker than the Stars through the first 10 overs. Moises Henriques made a classy 41 but his departure in the 11th over snuffed out all hope. Clint Hinchliffe, who had never previously taken more than one wicket in a T20 match, finished with career-best figures of 3 for 20.

Melbourne Stars 1 for 219 (Stoinis 147, Cartwright 59) beat Sydney Sixers 7 for 175 (Dwarshuis 42*, Hinchliffe 3-20) by 44 runs