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The Melbourne Stars have beaten the Hobart Hurricanes in a rain-punctuated Big Bash League match in Launceston.
Melbourne Stars have successfully walked the Duckworth-Lewis tightrope to beat Hobart Hurricanes in a rain-interrupted Big Bash League game.
The match on Monday night in Launceston was called off with the Stars on 3-55 off 7.3 overs, chasing a revised target of 80 from 11 overs.
Their score proved enough under the Duckworth-Lewis system to secure a four-run win, their second over Hobart this summer.
Stars opener Marcus Stoinis got struck flush on the grill of his helmet trying to duck a Riley Meredith delivery but persevered to top score with 25.
"He was bowling pretty quick and there was a bit of skid on the wicket," Stoinis told FoxSports.
"I've got one of those helmets with a titanium grill. I was surprised it didn't go for six. It was pretty loud, it was like an orchestra in there."
James Faulkner gave the Hurricanes a sniff with back-to-back wickets in the first over.
The former Australia allrounder had the ball swinging to trap Nic Maddinson (two) and Nick Larkin for a duck.
But the Stars were measured from there.
Peter Handscomb notched a valuable 22 not out and put on a 52-run stand with Stoinis.
Earlier, play was halted twice in the Hobart innings as they reached 5-69 from 11 overs after being sent in.
"Unfortunately we couldn't keep momentum in our favour. It was pretty frustrating," Hurricanes captain Ben McDermott told reporters.
"It was a balancing act the whole night but we unfortunately came up just short."
It was an evening of mixed emotions for D'Arcy Short, who was dismissed for a third-ball duck edging Dale Steyn (2-12) to Handscomb in the opening over.
Short was moments before the match called into Australia's one-day squad for a three-game series against India next month after Sean Abbott withdrew with injury.
Lightning strikes and rain forced the umpires to pause play in the sixth over of Hobart's innings, before rain again stopped the contest with the home side 3-56 after 9.4 overs.
Nathan Coulter-Nile (2-14) took the wicket of opener Caleb Jewell (26 from 28 balls) in the final over.
