Fletcher woes continue as Melbourne Stars lose
GOLD COAST, Australia (CMC) — Andre Fletcher’s lean run in the Big Bash continued Thursday as his Melbourne Stars slumped to a 17-run defeat to Brisbane Heat under Duckworth-lewis-stern, in a rain-hit 10-over affair at Carrara Oval.
Chasing 129 for victory, Stars finished on 111 for five, with the right-handed Fletcher managing only 15 at the top of the order.
The West Indies white-ball specialist, recalled for the recent tour of New Zealand, has failed to set the tournament alight, scraping only 87 runs from eight innings with a highest score of 18.
Sent in, Heat survived three rain interruptions which forced the reduction in overs, to tally 115 for three with Captain Chris Lynn top-scoring with 48.
He punched three fours and four sixes in a 23-ball knock, putting on 68 for the first wicket with Max Bryant whose 31 also came from 23 balls and included four fours and a six.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa accounted for both Bryant and Englishman Joe Denly (0) with successive deliveries in the seventh over but Joe Burns hit 22 not out from 11 balls to provide a flourish at the end.
In reply, Stars got an unbeaten 16-ball, 35 from Nick Larkin and 34 from opener Marcus Stoinis but still failed to find the momentum needed to overhaul their target.
Stoinis lashed four fours and a six off 20 balls as he posted 42 for the first wicket with Fletcher who belted two fours before holing out to an excellent relay catch on the ropes at long off by Xavier Bartlett, off the parry from Mark Steketee.
His was the first of five wickets to fall for 30 runs as seamer Steketee (3-25) ran through the innings and even though Larkin belted four fours and two sixes in an unbroken 39-run, seventh-wicket stand with Seb Gotch (2 not out), Stars ran out of deliveries.
Stars are three from bottom in the eight-team standings on 15 points, with Heat one point above them in fifth spot.
Up to Thursday, Sydney Thunder were leading the standings with 22 points.