Get Ball by Ball Commentary of Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, Big Bash League 2023, 1st Match

9.30pm That's it then from the opening night of the BBL. Wasn't the most competitive of season-openers, but so much quality, particularly from that man Munro. We're sure to see a lot more enthralling cricket over the next few weeks, so keep tuning in to ESPNcricinfo, the best place to follow all the action. Good night!

9.17 What a performance from Heat to begin their season. All five of their batters contributed significantly to a towering total of 214, with Colin Munro pulling off the star turn with an unbeaten 99. Then their bowlers took over, Michael Neser setting the tone for a dominant display with two wickets in the first over. The match ended, more or less, when Mitchell Swepson dismissed a dangerous-looking Glenn Maxwell, and there was little of note from Stars' batters after that save for a cameo from Hilton Cartwright.

Colin Munro is the Player of the Match. "Me and Maxi have a bet going - if one of us get a 50, we go to KFC. So it's his treat today. Nice to have the Aussie boys (Khawaja and Labuschagne) and they contributed to us going one from one," he says. "Now they can go and enjoy their Test cricket."

Cricfan: "MS always play similar to RCB, lose big at the start of competition and struggle to catch up on NRR"

Mark: "Good to see my Stars start off like last season ended, playing bad cricket and Coulter-Nile being injured... "

15.1

Swepson to Stone, OUT, and there's the game. Legbreak targeting the stumps, and Stone sweeps and misses. The Heat have won by 103 runs

OP Stone b Swepson 2 (5m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66

Here's Swepson.

END OF OVER:
15 | 3 Runs 2 Wkts | MS: 111/9 (104 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 7.40, RRR: 20.80)

Olly Stone2 (2b)
Nathan Coulter-Nile1 (1b)

Xavier Bartlett3-0-8-2
Matthew Kuhnemann3-0-17-1

14.6

Bartlett to Stone, 1 run, slower ball on off stump, swiped down to long-on

14.5

Bartlett to Coulter-Nile, 1 run, short, angling into the body, hooked down to deep backward square leg

Well, Coulter-Nile does come in, in an effort to shave a few decimal points off the NRR damage Stars will suffer today. He's batting with a runner - I didn't know the BBL allowed for that.

14.4

Bartlett to Paris, OUT, slower length ball on the stumps, and is that the match? Paris sweeps in the air, and deep backward square leg, Walter, comes in off the rope and takes a lovely low catch diving forward

JS Paris c Walter b Bartlett 5 (9m 6b 0x4 0x6) SR: 83.33

14.3

Bartlett to Paris, no run, slower ball slanted across the stumps. Heaves at it, looking to slog over the leg side, and misses

Stays over the wicket to Paris.

14.2

Bartlett to Stone, 1 run, back of a length close to off stump, steered down to deep third

Nathan Coulter-Nile has a calf injury, so we're not sure he'll bat today. Olly Stone is in at No. 10.

14.1

Bartlett to Usama Mir, OUT, looks to step across and scoop this full, stump-to-stump ball over short fine leg, but it's the slower one, and he's unable to manufacture the pace he needs to clear that fielder. Ends up as a simple catch to Swepson

Usama Mir c Swepson b Bartlett 9 (14m 11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 81.81

Just realised I hadn't put my name in. Here's Bartlett.

END OF OVER:
14 | 8 Runs | MS: 108/7 (107 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 7.71, RRR: 17.83)

Usama Mir9 (10b)
Joel Paris5 (4b)

Matthew Kuhnemann3-0-17-1
Paul Walter1-0-7-1

13.6

Kuhnemann to Usama Mir, 1 run, looks to make room, bowls a length ball into the pitch, gets it to stop on Usama a bit. Punched to long-off

13.5

Kuhnemann to Usama Mir, 2 runs, tossed up wide of off stump, and Usama launches it high in the air, lands it two-thirds of the way to the cover boundary

13.4

Kuhnemann to Paris, 1 run, back of a length, slanting across to off stump, makes room and slaps to deep cover

13.3

Kuhnemann to Paris, 2 runs, length ball on leg stump, swept into the leg-side gap, where deep midwicket and deep backward square leg converge and combine to stop the boundary, the former sprinting and diving left to deflect the ball to the latter

13.2

Kuhnemann to Usama Mir, 1 run, tossed up outside off, steps out and drives with a lot of bottom hand to long-on

13.1

Kuhnemann to Paris, 1 run, slants it across to off stump, pushed off the front foot into the covers

Kuhnemann back in the attack. Left-arm around to the left-hander.

END OF OVER:
13 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | MS: 100/7 (115 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 7.69, RRR: 16.42)

Joel Paris1 (1b)
Usama Mir5 (7b)

Paul Walter1-0-7-1
Spencer Johnson2-0-25-1

12.6

Walter to Paris, 1 run, full outside off, driven to sweeper cover

12.6

Walter to Paris, 1 wide, full, down leg, misses the flick

Paris is the new man. Walter goes over the wicket to the left-hander.

This came in just before the wicket ball, from Sujatha : "Stars should ensure that a) they bat out the full 20 overs and b) to achieve a Cartwright has to bat through . No team wants their NRR to sink after the very first match of the season." -- Can the last three wickets bat out the remaining overs?

12.5

Walter to Cartwright, OUT, Seven down. Back of a length, angling into the hip, and he takes on the man on the square leg boundary with the pull, but can't quite clear him. Judges the catch well in the end, finishing a foot or so in front of the rope

HWR Cartwright c Kuhnemann b Walter 33 (25m 16b 2x4 3x6) SR: 206.25

Round the wicket to Cartwright.

12.4

Walter to Usama Mir, 1 run, slower ball on leg stump, makes room and hits deep cover once more

Stars INNINGS		R	B
TF Rogers	caught wk	1	2
SB Harper	lbw	4	2
JA Burns	bowled	22	23
GJ Maxwell	caught	23	14
MP Stoinis	caught	2	3
HWR Cartwright	caught	33	16
LA Dawson	caught	7	10
Usama Mir	caught	9	11
JS Paris	caught	5	6
OP Stone	bowled	2	3
NM Coulter-Nile	not out	1	1
EXTRAS	(lb 1, w 1)
TOTAL	111 (all out; 15.1 ovs)

Heat BOWLING	O	R	W	Econ
MG Neser	3.0	30	2	10.00
XC Bartlett	3.0	8	2	2.66
SH Johnson	2.0	25	1	12.50
MJ Swepson	3.1	23	3	7.26
MP Kuhnemann	3.0	17	1	5.66
PI Walter	1.0	7	1	7.00	(1w)

Wkt	Runs	Players
1st	5	SB Harper	TF Rogers
2nd	1	JA Burns	TF Rogers
3rd	43	GJ Maxwell	JA Burns
4th	3	MP Stoinis	JA Burns
5th	2	JA Burns	HWR Cartwright
6th	34	LA Dawson	HWR Cartwright
7th	10	HWR Cartwright	Usama Mir
8th	10	JS Paris	Usama Mir
9th	1	OP Stone	JS Paris
10th	2	NM Coulter-Nile	OP Stone

Team	M	W	L	PT	NRR
BH	10	7	1	16	0.972
SS	10	6	2	14	0.339
PS	10	6	3	13	0.725
AS	10	5	4	11	0.331
HH	10	4	6	8	-0.268
MS	10	4	6	8	-1.051
MR	10	2	6	6	-0.289
ST	10	1	7	4	-0.652

END OF OVER:
15 | 3 Runs 2 Wkts | MS: 111/9 (104 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 7.40, RRR: 20.80)

END OF OVER:
14 | 8 Runs | MS: 108/7 (107 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 7.71, RRR: 17.83)

END OF OVER:
13 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | MS: 100/7 (115 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 7.69, RRR: 16.42)

Match Coverage

Colin Munro 99* leads Brisbane Heat to massive opening-day win over Melbourne Stars

Stars 2nd innings Partnerships

Big Bash League

END OF OVER:15 | 3 Runs 2 Wkts | MS: 111/9 (104 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 7.40, RRR: 20.80)

END OF OVER:14 | 8 Runs | MS: 108/7 (107 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 7.71, RRR: 17.83)

END OF OVER:13 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | MS: 100/7 (115 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 7.69, RRR: 16.42)

Colin Munro 99* leads Brisbane Heat to massive opening-day win over Melbourne Stars

END OF OVER:
15 | 3 Runs 2 Wkts | MS: 111/9 (104 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 7.40, RRR: 20.80)

END OF OVER:
14 | 8 Runs | MS: 108/7 (107 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 7.71, RRR: 17.83)

END OF OVER:
13 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | MS: 100/7 (115 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 7.69, RRR: 16.42)