Warne taunts Bailey as Stars seal hard-fought win
Shane Warne did not take a wicket but left a mark nonetheless as the Melbourne Stars edged past the Hobart Hurricanes in the final over of the BBL match at the MCG
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Dec-2012
Melbourne Stars 6 for 135 (Laughlin 3-14) beat Hobart Hurricanes 8 for 134 (Paine 46, McKay 3-24) by four wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shane Warne did not take a wicket but left a mark nonetheless as the Melbourne Stars edged past the Hobart Hurricanes in the final over of the BBL match at the MCG.
Adding an edge to a contest already noteworthy as Ricky Ponting's first domestic match since his international retirement, Warne offered a barbed critique of the Australian Twenty20 captain, George Bailey, who battled to 28 from 26 balls before falling victim to Cameron White.
Twice Warne drew edges from Bailey that were not held, leaving the former Australia spin bowler to remark while miked up to the broadcasters: "You would think the Australian Twenty20 captain would smack me out of the park, wouldn't you? Rather than keep nicking me?"
White eventually dismissed Bailey, as the Hurricanes were restricted to 8 for 134. Clint McKay snared three wickets after Tim Paine had tried to hold the innings together following Ponting's exit in the second over for eight, coincidentally the same score he made in his final Test innings.
The Stars' chase was guided in its early stages by Rob Quiney and Brad Hodge, before cameos by Cameron White and Glenn Maxwell took the hosts close enough to make the final result a formality, despite a noteworthy spell by the limited-overs specialist Ben Laughlin.
After the match, Bailey said he had no intention of getting into a war of words with Warne. "Is it disrespectful? Until I actually see it I don't think I'll get into a war of words with Warnie," Bailey said. "I think he's still the world's greatest leg-spinner isn't he, who's going to have a Test comeback at the age of 43? So he needs a bit of respect."