Joe Clarke hit BBL’s first century as Melbourne Stars beat Hobart Hurricanes

• Melbourne Stars beat Hobart Hurricanes at the MCGates after opening-game loss to Sydney Thunder.
• Joe Clarke scored 101 runs without being dismissed off of 66 balls.
• The wicketkeeper-batsman hit four sixes in an over for his first BBL century.

Joe Clarke blasted the BBL’s first century as the Melbourne Stars defeated the Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG after suffering an opening-game loss to the Sydney Thunder.

The batting conditions favoured the Stars, and when Clarke was sent in he scored 101 runs without being dismissed off of 66 balls. The Hurricanes never led in their season-opening loss, and the Stars recovered from Tuesday’s nail-biting setback in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Clarke, the wicketkeeper-batsman, batted all the way through this time after suffering the agony of allowing byes through on the final delivery against Thunder. Clarke was unstoppable for Stars on the powerplay after a diving Shadab Khan at short third dropped a one-hop fly ball.

When Joe Burns joined Glenn Maxwell on the disabled list after straining his hamstring against the Thunder, Clarke had to swing because the Stars’ batting was shorthanded.

After being dismissed for a duck off the first ball against Thunder, Marcus Stoinis, who is still suffering from Covid-19 and for the second straight match was not well enough to field, was out for a duck off the second ball against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Clarke, who was Stars’ most consistent hitter when Covid-19 swept through the team, scored runs from all around the wicket, so it didn’t matter.

Clarke scored his first BBL century in the final over and struck four sixes in total, but Beau Webster’s hit of Riley Meredith into the third tier of the enormous MCG was the greatest of the night.

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