MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC – West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree snatched a five-wicket haul as Brisbane Heat stormed to a 56-run win over Melbourne Stars and their second on the trot in the Australian Big Bash here yesterday.
Defending 189 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Badree sliced through the hosts’ innings with a spell of five for 21 from four overs, as Stars collapsed to 132 for nine off their 20 overs.
Evan Gulbis tried to rescue the innings with a top score of 61 not out off 52 deliveries in a 59-run, sixth wicket stand with captain David Hussey who made 25.
However, once the stand was broken in the 14th over, Stars struggled to keep up with the required run rate of 17 per over and folded quickly.
Earlier, Badree’s West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago teammate, Lendl Simmons, had provided the early impetus for Heat with a knock of 44 off 35 deliveries.
Sent in, Heat lost Jimmy Peirson without scoring off the first ball he faced at five for one in the first over but Simmons led the revival in an entertaining 84-run, second wicket stand off 40 balls with skipper Chris Lynn who made 56.
The right-handed Simmons struck five fours and a six while Lynn belted two fours and seven sixes.
Lynn fell in the eighth over and Simmons in the 13th, missing a swing at a slower ball and going bowled by seamer Ben Hilfenhaus.
Joe Burns (27), Nathan Reardon (25) and Ben Cutting (22) all produced cameos late on to ensure a strong end to the innings.
In reply, Stars never got going, due largely to Badree’s devastating spell. Handed the new ball, the Trinidadian accounted for the first five wickets to fall to leave Stars in disarray at 23 for five in the fifth over.
With the third ball of the innings, he bowled Luke Wright with a googly off the inside edge before the Englishman had scored, and then trapped marquee batsman Kevin Pietersen lbw for seven and claimed opener Marcus Stoinis for eight to a catch at mid off, in the third over.
Badree claimed two more in his third over , drawing Peter Handscomb out and having him stumped for two before knocking over Rob Quiney without scoring, caught at mid-on trying to pull one that skidded on.
Badree has taken nine wickets so far in the tournament.
