James Faulkner celebrates a wicket with his Melbourne Stars teammates. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Limited
IF the Adelaide Strikers were a UFC fighter, they'd have tapped out.
So fierce was the stranglehold the Melbourne Stars applied that Adelaide coach Darren Berry joked while interviewed on TV that he wanted commentators Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann to "put the pads on".
The Strikers, mooted by some as the team most likely to challenge the rampant Stars, were restricted to just 9-90 - the lowest completed first-innings Big Bash League score on the MCG.
The Stars duly ran down the fifth lowest BBL score ever in just 7.3 overs with eight wickets to spare to extend their winning streak to five, booking a finals berth.
"It's been a nightmare - they've bowled beautifully," lamented Berry who'd earlier opted to take an extra bowler into the match when ultimately he could have used another three batsmen.
In reply, Luke Wright survived a ferocious blow to the head by a Shaun Tait thunderbolt to post 49 off just 20 deliveries before holing out to mid-off on the first ball of the sixth over.
The only hiccup came next ball when captain Cameron White put Michael Neser on a hat-trick when he somehow reached a wide ball only to scoop it to third man the next delivery.
Luke Wright hits out for the Stars against the Strikers at the MCG. Picture Wayne Ludbey Source: News Limited
But Glenn Maxwell (25 not out) and Matt Wade (3 not out) made light work of the remaining chase.
Wright, who showed no ill-effects of the ball that smashed into his visor on a misjudged hook shot against the 150km/h bouncer, said the Stars' intention had been not to let the small target become problematic.
"I wanted to come out and put the bowlers under pressure," the Englishman said with great understatement.
But it was the bowlers who deservedly got the plaudits.
The Strikers had been cruising behind Michael Klinger (42 off 49) with only Alex Hales's loss of any note after 5.1 overs had yielded 37.
But extraordinarily, the Strikers could only manage three more fours and just one six after that as they limped along at a rate akin to Australia's in the fifth Test in Sydney.
In that time, there were 55 dot balls to highlight the Stars' bowlers total domination.
Kane Richardson (21 off 24) was the only other batsman to reach double-figures - and he also wore a James Faulkner bouncer to his helmet for his trouble.
James Faulkner celebrates a wicket at the MCG. Picture Wayne Ludbey Source: News Limited
The Tasmanian all-rounder has come of age and was exemplary in returning 3-9 from four intense overs with four routine play-and-misses among his 17 dot balls.
John Hastings was frugal, James Muirhead turned the ball a long way at times in his two overs - including for the stumping of Michael Neser - and Jackson Bird fought back well after the early onslaught.
And to cap it all off, Lasith Malinga returned to his near unplayable best in recording 2-8 off four mesmerising overs.
The win leaves the Stars two games and a huge run rate clear on top of the ladder, with a home semi-final seemingly a formality.
The Strikers stayed fourth, but their run rate took a hammering.
Capping their bad night, the visitors didn't have Klinger on the field for much of the run chase after he suffered back spasms after batting.
Relive all the action from the MCG in our match blog below.
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