MelbourneThe Melbourne Stars claimed their third win in succession, after beating the Hobart Hurricanes by eight wickets, enough to catapult the perennial semi-finalists from sixth on the table into the top four, as they brace for the departure of Australian one-day international representatives Scott Boland, James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell.
The Stars collected four wickets in the power-play and bookended that with the best death bowling.
Pietersen and Hurricanes slogger Darren Sammy praised John Hastings and Scott Bolands final two overs filled with yorkers as the best theyve seen delivered worldwide.
A trio of run-outs capped this world-class effort in the field and while it was no world-record run chase, it looked as comfortable as a fluffy pillow.
Importantly, the Stars helped themselves to a handy chunk of net run-rate with the eight-wicket win coming with 30 balls to spare.
In a season tighter than the new MCG security, that could determine whether the Stars play a home or away semi-final, or even qualify at all.
ITheir past 23 matches have seen a BBL record of eight-straight wins followed by four consecutive losses, a run of five wins on the trot, a trio of losses and now a trio of wins to go 3-2.
Maxwell opened the bowling and had Hurricanes skipper Tim Paine caught for a duck before breaking the stumps to complete John Hastings run-out of fellow opener Ben Dunk.
Maxwells BBL ends with handy bowling figures of 4-88 from 11 overs and a batting average of 37.75 at a mega strike-rate of 142.5.
And then there was spinner Adam Zampa, again introduced immediately another power-play.
Zampa applied the clamps with three tidy overs and started his fourth with a fortunate stumping of Jono Wells, the ball bouncing off keeper Peter Handscomb and onto the stumps.
Two balls later, Zampa bowled danger man George Bailey after his third half-century, bringing ex-Star Clive Rose to the crease with Hobart floundering at 6-99.
Hastings stiff to be dropped by Australia and now looming as a key to the Stars maiden title hopes sent down a bunch of yorkers in the penultimate over with the final ball cannoning low into nemesis Sammys stumps.
Boland then ripped through the tail and a run-out on the last ball gave the Stars a team hat-trick.
Opener Luke Wright continued his hot streak. After failing to reach 50 in 15 knocks, the Englishman has unconquered scores of 109 (63) and 51 (41) on the trot.
But it came at Pietersens expense, the countrymen involved in an embarrassing mix-up, leaving KP fuming. Wright was again there at the end as he and Maxwell raced to the line, clubbing 28 runs from the last eight balls.
Maxwell was adjudged Man of the match.
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