Melbourne Stars captain Maxwell praised opponent Philippe was in great form

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Melbourne Stars captain Maxwell praised opponent Philippe was in great form

Melbourne Stars captain Maxwell praised opponent Philippe was in great form

December 7, 2021

Author 77baji

An understrength Melbourne Stars' batting performance has handed the Sydney Sixers a fairytale start to their BBL championship defence with a record win at the SCG in the season opener.

The visitors capitulated with the bat in the 12th over as the Sixers' high-powered batting lineup decimated an inexperienced Stars bowling attack to achieve their best ever KFC BBL total. The 152-run success was the BBL's highest ever winning margin, surpassing the previous benchmark of 145 set by the Sixers over the Melbourne Renegades in Hobart last season.

Only two Stars batters reached double figures: Peter Nevill (18) and Hilton Cartwright (10) as skipper Glenn Maxwell and English newcomer Joe Clarke failed to strike.

At the meantime, after being requested to bat first by Maxwell on Sunday night, the back-to-back winners' big three – Josh Philippe, James Vince, and Moises Henriques – all got going at the top of the order.

The Stars were already without batter Joe Burns, spinners Nathan Coulter-Nile and Billy Stanlake, and keeper-batter Seb Gotch, yet one of Australia's T20 World Cup favourites, Marcus Stoinis, was pulled out with a side strain shortly before the game.

Sydney Sixers’ captain Moises Henriques told the media, Philippe and Vince simply laid a fantastic foundation at the top of the batting order, making everyone else's task much easier as they came in. The 34-year-old skipper said that they didn't have to deal with any difficult situations because the plans were quite obvious. He said that when they lose your first wicket in the ninth over, they are pretty much free to go.

The Stars have a five-day break before facing the Sydney Thunder at the SCG on Friday, and Maxwell stated that the Stoinis, Coulter-Nile, Qais Ahmad, and Burns should be back in a few matches. The team have a five-day break before facing the Sydney Thunder at the SCG on Friday.

Maxwell stated that Stoinis, Coulter-Nile, Qais Ahmad, and Burns should be back in a few matches. He said that it really was not a pleasant evening. He commented that with an inexperienced bowling squad, he reckons they did quite well. He said that in his debut game with the new ball, Sammy Elliott showed some promising signs; he brought the ball to shape quickly and appeared to have excellent control.

The 33-year-old captain said that they have got Philippe in fantastic form and Vince is a world-class cricketer — a difficult introduction for these young men, but one that will benefit them greatly. He also mentioned that they have had a lot of injuries and a lot of players who have yet to show up.

On Wednesday, the Sixers travel to Launceston to meet the Hobart Hurricanes.