Handscomb hundred stuns Scorchers

Melbourne Stars 7 for 182 (Handscomb 103*, Arafat 4-27) beat Perth Scorchers 2 for 179 (Marsh 79, Klinger 71) by 3 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A rollicking hundred from Peter Handscomb stunned Perth Scorchers and snatched a three-wicket win for Melbourne Stars at the MCG. Chasing 180, Stars were reeling at 3 for 28 in the sixth over before Handscomb struck a 64-ball hundred, which he brought up by hitting a six that also took them to the win. It was a single-handed effort as no other Stars batsman crossed 20 runs.

Medium-pacer Yasir Arafat dented Stars' top order with his first two balls by dismissing Luke Wright for 1 and bowling Kevin Pietersen with an incoming delivery for a first-ball duck. Handscomb started off with two fours in his first five deliveries. Along with Rob Quiney, Handscomb put on 60 runs at over eight an over but when Quiney fell for 19 in the 13th over, Stars still needed 92 from 44 balls.

Handscomb, on 46 off 41 then, unleashed a flurry of boundaries which yielded 41 runs from the next three overs. The equation came down to 50 off 24 before an eventful 17th over. John Hastings smoked three consecutive sixes off Ashton Agar but was caught off the last delivery. Two consecutive fours from Clint McKay at the end of the next over meant Stars needed 17 from 12.

Arafat came back for his last over, conceded only five runs and even removed McKay on his last ball to finish with 4 for 27. With 12 needed off six, Handscomb smashed two full-tosses for sixes on the leg side, reaching his maiden T20 hundred and finishing the chase.

Earlier, Scorchers innings was driven by a flying start from their openers Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger. The stand produced 127 runs in 14 overs out of which Marsh scored 79 off 51 with eight fours and three sixes. Klinger was run out on the last ball for a knock of 71 off 48, which featured five fours and two sixes. Three of the five Stars bowlers conceded at least 9.50 runs per over.