Melbourne Stars: The most entertaining format of cricket is T20 because it gives a lot to the fans in a short span of time. T20 cricket comes with many surprises for both the batting and bowling teams. A team can go well past 200 runs in 20 overs. However, the entire team can be dismissed for as few as 50 runs.
In this article, we will cover such statistics for a BBL franchise, the Melbourne Stars. The Stars have qualified for the BBL final three times in 2015, 2018 and 2019. But unfortunately, they have never won the BBL trophy. Apart from that, the Stars also had some other unwanted records in the BBL. In fact, they hold the third lowest BBL total.
3. Melbourne Stars (115 all out) vs Brisbane Heat in 2015
The third lowest total for the Melbourne Stars is registered against the Brisbane Heat. It came in the 53rd game of the 2015 season at the MCG. The Heat decided to bat first after winning the toss. They had decent contributions with the bat in the middle. AB de Villiers, on the other hand, ended well for them. He scored 71 off 37 balls to help the Heat reach a total of 186/5.
It was a big enough target to chase and required some good partnerships. But in the second inning, the Stars had a horrible batting display. Apart from Peter Handscomb (27) and Nick Larkin (22), none of the other batters could manage a significant score. As a result, the whole team got dismissed for just 115 runs in 17.4 overs. The Stars won that game by 71 runs.
2. Melbourne Stars (99 all out) vs Sydney Sixers in 2020
The second lowest total for the Melbourne Stars came in the 2020 qualifier match. It was the game against the Sydney Sixers at the MCG. After winning the toss, the Stars decided to bowl first. In fact, they bowled well and restricted the Sydney Sixers to a low score. Adam Zampa bowled well for his 3/21, and the Sixers made a score of 142/7 in their 20 overs.
It wasn’t a big total to chase, and it looked like the Stars might get it easily. But then, the Melbourne Stars couldn’t make any partnerships in the middle. The highest score was an unbeaten 25 runs from Clint Hinchliffe, and only two other batters scored over 10 runs. As a result, the Stars got all out for 99 runs in 18 overs and lost the game. The Sixers won the match by 43 runs despite a low score.
1. Melbourne Stars (61 all out) vs Sydney Sixers in 2021
Both of the lowest scores for the Melbourne Stars came against the Sydney Sixers. Their lowest and third-lowest totals overall came in the 2021 season. It came in the season opener of the 2021 season at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Stars won the toss and chose to bowl first. But that decision backfired on them. Batting first, the Sixers posted a huge total of 213/4 in their 20 overs.
Josh Philippe (83 off 47) and skipper Moises Henriques (76* off 38) made big contributions. Chasing a big target, a team always wants to have a good opening partnership. But for the Stars, both openers got out in the very first over. They kept on losing wickets after that, with only two batters reaching the 10-run mark. In the end, the Melbourne Stars got all out for just 61 runs in 11.1 overs, losing by 152 runs.
List of Lowest Score in BBL in Melbourne Stars
| Score | Overs | Inns | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 11.1 | 2 | Sixers | Sydney | 5 Dec 2021 |
| 99 | 18.0 | 2 | Sixers | Melbourne | 31 Jan 2020 |
| 115 | 17.4 | 2 | Heat | Melbourne | 25 Jan 2020 |
| 126 | 20.0 | 1 | Renegades | Melbourne | 3 Jan 2022 |
| 126 | 19.5 | 2 | Scorchers | Perth | 25 Jan 2015 |
| 126 | 17.1 | 2 | Sixers | Melbourne | 14 Jan 2019 |
| 128/5 | 20.0 | 2 | Scorchers | Melbourne | 4 Jan 2012 |
| 128/7 | 20.0 | 1 | Sixers | Melbourne | 16 Jan 2018 |
| 129/8 | 20.0 | 2 | Scorchers | Perth | 26 Dec 2017 |
| 130 | 18.5 | 2 | Scorchers | Melbourne | 2 Jan 2022 |