Stars cruise past Strikers in Moe

The match in a tweet: Stars cruise past Strikers to register back-to-back victories as #BBL08 proves a BIG hit in Moe

The Score: Melbourne Stars 2-167 (Dunk 72no, Stoinis 53; Rashid 1-32) defeated Adelaide Strikers 123 (Lehmann 40; Stoinis 3-20, Plunkett 3-21, Bravo 3-22) by 44 runs

The Hero: Ben Dunk made a slow start to BBL|08, but he has now scored two half-centuries from his last five knocks and his unbeaten 72 against the Strikers helped the Stars amass a decent total of 2-167. Dunk's 53-ball knock included three massive sixes and his efforts with the bat were a major reason behind why the Stars prevailed.

The Supporting Cast: Glenn Maxwell used six different bowlers against the Strikers and the Stars skipper rotated them expertly as the visitors failed to get their eye in on a good wicket in the Victorian country town of Moe. Maxwell himself did a good job taking the new ball alongside veteran seamer Jackson Bird, while the likes of Dwayne Bravo (3-22) and Liam Plunkett (3-21) varied their pace at the right time to ensure runs were hard to come by. But perhaps the most impressive of all the Stars bowlers was Marcus Stoinis, who picked up three valuable wickets to go with his classy half-century with the bat. There aren't too many cricketers in Australia currently in better form than Stoinis and when he fires, so do the Stars.

The Consolation Act: Jake Lehmann won a recall to the Strikers side and also won a promotion up the order to come in at first drop. He looked to be in good touch as he amassed a quickfire 40 from just 32 balls. However, he tried one big shot too many off Bravo and holed out to the safe hands of Maxwell on the boundary when quick runs were required.

The Big Moment: If the Strikers were going to challenge the Stars' total they would have required a good start, but they got the exact opposite when Jake Weatherald was run out at the non-strikers end with the first ball of the fourth over when Jackson Bird managed to deflect the ball onto the stumps.

The Crowd: We're a big fan of the BBL taking games to rural areas and the Moe locals turned up in droves to watch the clash on a perfect summers day in Gippsland. They were treated to some quality cricket from a host of international players, with the likes of Maxwell, Bravo, Stoinis and Rashid Khan impressing at different stages at Ted Summerton Reserve.

The Next Stop: The Stars return to the MCG to host the Brisbane Heat on Sunday, while the Strikers stay on the road and travel to Sydney to tackle the Sixers at the SCG on Tuesday night.