Melbourne Stars captain Marcus Stoinis was stunned to see his bat break in the opening match of the 2024-25 Big Major League (BBL) season against the Perth Scorchers. A video of Marcus Stoinis’ bat breaking during another willow challenge by the right-handed batsman during the match has gone viral on social media.
Melbourne Stars got off to a torrid start after winning the toss and electing to bat in Perth on Sunday 15 December. The Stars took nine balls to score their first run. To make matters worse, the Stars slumped to 3/2 on the power play.
Joe Clarke was dismissed for a nine-ball duck, followed by Sam Harper trapped LBW by Jhye Richardson for 1. Marcus Stoinis came to the crease at the No.4 position. Opener Thomas Fraser Rogers tried to back him up, but was dismissed for 14 after a poor landing shot against Behrendorff.
Watch: Marcus Stoinis surprised at bat break during BBL Opener
The incident happened in the fourth ball of the 12th over of the Melbourne Stars innings. Stoinis broke his bat as he sliced a low, full toss from Jhye Richardson towards short third man. The handle broke, forcing a stoppage of play as Stoinis called for a replacement bat and showed the injury to his willow.
Check out the video of the event below:
Broken bat
It wouldn’t be the Big Bash without it! #BBL14 pic.twitter.com/veb2VyHLJx
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 15, 2024
Stoinis conceded just two balls after replacing a fracture. He missed the crease with a direct hit from Andrew Tye. Stoinis was dismissed for 37 runs off 33 balls, including three fours and a six. Stars managed to score 146 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs.
Didn’t progress properly – Melbourne Stars coach Peter Moores
Melbourne Stars coach Peter Moores acknowledged the nervous start but praised the team’s calm approach, particularly Stoinis’ composure. He stated that the team was targeting a total of 160 runs in 20 overs.
“It didn’t go straight forward. We came in thinking we had to play well at the back of the game. The lads are still feeling confident,” Moores told Fox Cricket.
“There wasn’t a lot of talk to be fair – we were all calm. It was tough. I think we were 13 after three overs. 10 to go… we’ve got a big chance. (Stoinis) looked really calm, clear on what he had to do.. “I like the fact that the players are calm,” he said about the opening power play.
11th over for Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars in BBL 2024-25 Opener
Perth Scorchers: Keaton Jennings (import), Finn Allen (import), Cooper Connolly, Matthew Hurst, Ashton Turner (c), Nick Hobson, Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris
Melbourne Stars: Tom Rogers, Joe Clarke (import), Sam Harper, Marcus Stoinis (c), Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Tom Curran (import), Hamish McKenzie, Adam Milne (import), Brody Couch, Peter Siddle
Also read: Steve Smith broke Ricky Ponting’s all-time record to achieve a historic feat against India
 2024-25 season against Perth Scorchers.){kind=link}