Story 2022-23 BBL Season (Simulated with @Dice Cricket)

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BBL Match 1
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars

Lineups:
Thunder: Hales, Gilkes, Rossouw, J. Sangha, Ross, Cutting, Sams, Green, T. Sangha, Farooqi, Sandhu
Stars: Clarke, Stoinis, Burns, Larkin, Cartwright, Webster, Hinchliffe, Wood, Coulter-Nile, Zampa, Boult
Notes: STA Glenn Maxwell injured. THU David Warner unavailable, David Willey withdrawn.

Toss: Thunder won and chose to bat

Alex Hales started with a few defensive shots, but Mat Gilkes at the other end aimed to take the bowling down. He hit one huge six back down the ground off Coulter-Nile, then missed the next delivery aiming for a repeat and became the first wicket to fall of the 2022-23 season. This brought the international pairing of Hales and Rossouw together, who delivered steady run scoring for the remainder of the powerplay, the mark after six being 1/54. Hales attacked Zampa immediately after the powerplay, taking him for a four through backward point and a six over long on in a fourteen-run over. Wood was also taken down, conceding 13 from the ninth, and after 16 more off Zampa in the tenth, the score at the halfway point was 1/102.

Hinchliffe and Coulter-Nile quietened things down for a couple overs, but a third expensive Zampa over (14 off) got Hales back on track (although Rossouw struggled with the slow bowling of Webster next). Zampa finally won his battle with Hales off the first ball of the 16th, a big drive resulting in a feather through to Joe Clarke and his dismissal for a brilliant 84 off 52. Cutting, promoted to pinch-hit at #4, hit his first ball for six, but at the other end Rossouw showed a lack of match awareness as he swung hard and picked the man at deep square leg, ending his supporting knock at 39 off 34. Cutting hit another six, then got a thick edge off Coulter-Nile to depart as part of an outstanding over where Alex Ross missed the ball several times. The batsmen struggled to finish the innings, but 6/180 was still a highly competitive score. The best bowler was Coulter-Nile (2/33) who delivered an outstanding over in the 18th that conceded just one run, while the expensive Zampa had two wickets and Clint Hinchliffe staked his claim to more usage next game.
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Chasing 181, a positive start was required for the Stars. Farooqi provided that with a wild first over, including one that shot off the thigh pad of Clarke to the rope, that conceded fifteen. The keeper had a towering blow over mid wicket in that over, then hit another six off Sandhu the next - but perished, caught by Hales at long on, a ball later. Burns didn't last - while Sams was just as loose as Farooqi had been, he incited a slash from Burns that just provided Gilkes catching practice. Stoinis and Larkin rebuilt for a couple of overs after Burns' dismissal, then launched in the sixth against Farooqi - five boundaries meant the Stars were actually ahead at 2/66 after six. Sangha pulled some economy back, but at the other end it was Chris Green with the big strike - Stoinis chopping on for 43 off just 23. Conceding just four from the next ten balls, the spinners put the squeeze on the Stars. 3/86 from 10 was a position that gave the Thunder the upper hand.

The Stars aimed to accelerate after ten overs, taking 10 off Sangha's third over. But Cutting was introduced and removed Cartwright with his first delivery, pinned LBW by a cutter. Webster departed for a golden duck, top edging a sweep all the way out to Sams at deep square leg, and the Stars were in trouble. Larkin hadn't given up, and good running from Hinchliffe and power from him saw 21 come off the 14th over, bowled by Sams. Twelve more from Sangha's final over saw the Stars needing 40 from the last five. But it was again Cutting who struck - a slower ball was pulled right down Hales' throat at cow corner by Cartwright, whose 53 had given the Stars a chance, but whose departure looked to end it. That chance was reigniteds as Luke Wood went swinging, hitting 16 off 4 from the remainder of Cutting's over. The game took another twist off Green's next over - Hinchliffe, attempting to retain the strike, sliced the final ball of the spinner's spell to gully. Needing 18 from 18, but with only the tail left, Wood played it somewhat safe, taking just six off the 18th by Sandhu. But two boundaries from Sams' 19th seemed to have sealed it, and a single from the first ball of the 20th ended it. Wood's 35 off 15 made a improbable comeback for Melbourne a reality. Sandhu, Green and Cutting impressed with the ball, while Sams and Farooqi were expensive and Tanveer Sangha didn't get much penetration.
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MOTM: Alex Hales
 

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