McCullum, Lynn hand Stars third straight loss
The Bash Brothers finished the job but it was Brisbane Heat's spin twins - Mitchell Swepson and Yasir Shah - who laid the platform for Melbourne Stars' nine-wicket defeat
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shah opened the bowling in a bold move that paid immediate dividends. He trapped Ben Dunk in front in his second over after conceding just three runs from his first.
Maxwell has battled for form all through the tournament after dominating the Sheffield Shield in the lead-up. He played an innings that was most unlike him but was invaluable for his team. At one stage, he was 30 off 30 before he launched his first six. That sparked him to life. He scored 20 in nine balls to reach his first fifty of the season before miscuing a ball badly off the toe of the bat. As ugly as it was, he did enough to help lift the total above 140.
Lynn was promoted to open with McCullum to try and make the most of the new ball on the unusual surface. Lynn gave John Hastings a gift-wrapped chance off the third ball of the innings from James Faulkner. It was waist high, slightly to his right on the ring at mid-off. Hastings took four bites at it before it fell to the turf. Hearts around the MCG sank immediately.
McCullum shimmied down the track one ball later and clipped beautifully wide of mid-on for four and that was that. McCullum targeted Stars danger man Michael Beer, partnering Lynn to launch three fours and a six in his two overs in the Powerplay. Beer had previously conceded less than five an over in Powerplays this season. While Lynn took 24 balls to get his strike-rate above 100, McCullum's hovered above 200. He hit seven fours and three sixes in a 30-ball 61 before holing out to Quiney. Lynn reached his slowest half-century in BBL cricket, off a comparatively tortoise-like 40 balls. As poorly as he hit the ball by his incredible standards, he still matched McCullum's seven fours and three sixes and finished the job alongside Burns with 32 balls to spare.
Alex Malcolm is a freelance writer based in Perth