Heat finals hope dashed
THE lights were turned out for good on the eventful Big Bash League season of the Brisbane Heat yesterday when results in the final game in Melbourne fell against them.
Glenn Maxwell delivered a stunning 82 off 43 balls to propel Melbourne Stars into the BBL semi-finals and deny the Heat fourth place.
The win lifted the Stars above the Heat to a fourthplaced finish and a semi-final against the Hurricanes in Hobart on Thursday night.
Brisbane had a flickering chance of qualifying fourth when Sydney Thunder finished below the Heat on the BBL table on run rate despite winning their game in Hobart on Saturday night.
The Thunder were critical of the sharing of competition points with Brisbane when a power failure forced the abandonment of their January 17 game at the Gabba.
The Heat had been 2-10 after three overs in reply to the Thunder’s 4-186. Losses in their first three matches eventually proved insurmountable to the Heat in their finals drive.
Maxwell’s knock in a do-ordie regular season finale at the MCG paved the way for a dominant 94-run win over Sydney Sixers, which cost the Sixers the chance of a home final.
Set a target of 169, the Sixers were skittled for just 74 with Nepalese legspinner Sandeep Lamicchane snaring 3-11.
It also left Melbourne Renegades in second place on the ladder, meaning they will host the second semi-final against the Sixers on Friday night.
Just three Sixers batsmen reached double figures with Daniel Hughes’s 12 the top score.
The Sixers had needed to score at least 107 to keep their net run rate above that of the Renegades.
Maxwell scored his final 65 runs off 23 balls, including three sixes in the final over from Ben Dwarshuis.
The Stars had been 4-101 at the 16-over mark before Maxwell turned the match on its head.
Sent in to bat by Sixers captain Moises Henriques, the hosts would have been in serious trouble early if not for a pair of inexplicable fielding blunders by England international Tom Curran.