Haris Rauf‘s three-for and Joe Clarke‘s fiery innings powered Melbourne Stars to a commanding win over Sydney Thunder. Within the 14th match of the Big Bash League 2025-26 at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Sunday, table-toppers Melbourne Stars crushed Sydney Thunder by 9 wickets with 36 balls to spare, chasing down 129 in simply 14 overs.
Haris Rauf dismantles Sydney Thunder with sensible bowling
Sydney Thunder’s batting collapsed on a great Canberra floor as they had been bundled out for simply 128 of their full quota of 20 overs after Melbourne Stars skipper Marcus Stoinis gained the toss and selected to bowl first. Regardless of the pitch providing lots for stroke-making, Thunder didn’t construct momentum after a promising begin.
Openers Sam Konstas and Matthew Gilkes started positively and took the rating to 33 contained in the powerplay. Gilkes seemed significantly aggressive, hanging a boundary and two sixes, however the early spark was snuffed out when Rauf used his slower ball cleverly to have him chipped to mid-off. Konstas quickly adopted, bowled by Mitchell Swepson, triggering a gradual slide for the Thunder.
The stress mounted as David Warner couldn’t convert his begin and was caught within the deep off Stoinis, whereas Cameron Bancroft’s scratchy keep ended lbw to Swepson after an unsuccessful overview. At 63 for 4, Thunder had been in bother and desperately wanted a partnership.
Sam Billings and Shadab Khan tried a restoration, including some stability and taking the entire near 90. Nonetheless, Rauf returned in the course of the energy surge and turned the sport decisively within the Stars’ favour, eradicating Billings and later Chris Inexperienced with well-disguised variations. With the center order undone, the decrease order supplied little resistance. Tom Curran and Peter Siddle cleaned up the tail as Thunder misplaced their remaining 5 wickets cheaply, slipping from a place of hope to a different batting disappointment. Rauf’s incisive spell stood out because the defining issue within the collapse.
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Joe Clarke’s blistering knock seals a commanding win for Melbourne Stars
Joe Clarke produced a blistering opening act to arrange a cushty victory for the Melbourne Stars, showcasing his attacking intent from the very begin of the chase. Clarke raced to a scintillating 60 from simply 37 deliveries, peppering the boundary with eight crisp fours and a towering six. Alongside Sam Harper, he ensured the Stars flew out of the blocks, citing their fifty in a mere 3.6 overs in the course of the energy play. Clarke reached his half-century in solely 29 balls, confidently dispatching Ryan Hadley with elegant flicks and forceful cuts by level, because the opening pair stitched collectively a commanding 86-run stand. The breakthrough ultimately got here when Chris Inexperienced dismissed Clarke at 86 for 1 within the 9.4th over, however by then the injury had been carried out.
With the platform firmly established, Harper and Glenn Maxwell calmly guided the Stars dwelling with none hiccups. Harper remained unbeaten on 29 from 27 balls, whereas Maxwell added the ending touches with an aggressive 39 not out off 20 deliveries, hanging 5 boundaries and clearing the ropes twice. Maxwell took a specific liking to Shadab and Tanveer Sangha, making certain the chase by no means drifted off track. The Stars reached 100 in simply 11.1 overs and had been by no means underneath stress, as Thunder bowlers Daniel Sams and Ryan Hadley struggled to include the movement of runs. This emphatic win retains Melbourne Stars unbeaten with 4 victories from 4 matches, sitting comfortably on the prime of the BBL|15 standings, whereas Sydney Thunder’s marketing campaign continues to lose momentum.
4 wins. Zero losses.
These @StarsBBL are shining in #BBL15 🌟 pic.twitter.com/axshOfR4Lh
— KFC Huge Bash League (@BBL) December 28, 2025
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