De Villiers also kept wickets in this match for Heat.
Heat won the bat flip and decided to bat first on a perfect MCG pitch. Ben Cutting (22) opened the innings with Sam Heazlett (18). However, both fell with a score of 58 runs in 8th over. In came the Proteas great AB de Villiers and in 37 balls, changed the course of the innings, as he smoked 6 sixes and 2 fours in his 71-run knock.
BBL 09: WATCH- AB de Villiers lights up MCG with massive sixes during his 71 against Stars
Marnus Labuschagne contributed 24* in 13 balls with 2 sixes in the end overs to take Heat to 186/5 in 20 overs. Adam Zampa picked 3/27 for Stars.
In reply, James Pattinson (2/17) and Mitchell Swepson (3/31) ran through the Melbourne side early on with Larkin (22) and Handscomb (27) being the main scorers for the team. Mujeeb (2/11) joined in the fun as the Stars’ middle-order collapsed with skipper Maxwell making 1 run. AB de Villiers also kept wickets in this match and took a catch and made a stumping off Mujeeb.
Their innings finally folded for 115 and Stars lost the match by 71 runs.
BRIEF SCORES:
BH 186/5 (AB DE VILLIERS 71; A ZAMPA 3/27) defeated MS 115 ( P HANDSCOMB 27; M SWEPSON 3/21 ) by 71 runs