Peter Siddle rolled back the years, and Marcus Stoinis finished the job as Melbourne Stars stunned, defending champions Hobart Hurricanes by eight wickets at the MCG to kick off their BBL season in emphatic fashion.
The 41-year-old Siddle delivered a vintage spell of 3 for 30, strangling Hobart to a modest 158 for 9 after Stoinis won the toss and chose to bowl. Calm, clever, and relentlessly accurate, Siddle combined with Haris Rauf to rip through the Hurricanes’ lower order, conceding just six runs in the final eight balls to halt any late momentum.
Ben McDermott stood tall amid the collapse, crafting a composed 69 after arriving at the crease in the second over. His partnership with Tim David briefly promised more, but once David fell to Siddle inside the powerplay, Hobart’s innings unravelled rapidly under sustained pressure.
The chase was never in doubt. Stoinis produced a captain’s knock, smashing an unbeaten 62 off just 31 balls, perfectly complementing his earlier 2 for 18 to earn Player of the Match honours. Campbell Kellaway’s fluent 41* off 27 ensured the Stars cruised home with 24 balls to spare, Stoinis sealing victory in style with a towering six.
Glenn Maxwell added his trademark flair early, opening the bowling and removing Mitch Owen with the fourth ball of the match before later pulling off a spectacular boundary-riding catch to dismiss Matthew Wade. It was a complete team performance from the Stars, sharp in the field, disciplined with the ball, and ruthless with the bat.
For a franchise still chasing its maiden BBL title, this was the perfect opening statement. The Hurricanes move on to face the Renegades in Geelong, while a confident Stars outfit head to Adelaide to take on the Strikers, buoyed by a night where experience and explosiveness combined to devastating effect.
