Brisbane Heat 199 for 6 (Bryant 48*, McSweeney 43, Swepson 2-30, Siddle 2-38) beat Melbourne Stars 195 for 6 (Stoinis 43, Macdonald 37*, Balkin 2-35) by four wickets
Going into the last five overs at the Gabba on Friday night, Heat still needed 76 runs. Bryant took 16 off Siddle’s final over to reduce the target to 27 off 12 balls. Allrounder Bartlett smote 21 off 9 balls. He had earlier blasted an effortless straight six and then a four off legspinner Mitchell Swepson to put life into the chase. He unleashed in the penultimate over from Tom Curran, before Bryant cut a huge six.
The Heat needed 10 off the last over bowled by Pakistan quick Haris Rauf, and Bryant launched a six off the third ball to level the scores, then a boundary to win it with two deliveries to spare.
“It is pretty cool in your home stadium in front of a packed house,” Bryant said. “We knew we were only two or three sixes away to catching up, and luckily it came off. I did nick one there early on in my innings. Luckily they didn’t review it.”
The 41-year-old Siddle became the season’s joint leading wicket-taker with 10 and should have had 11 but for the Bryant blunder.
McSweeney was playing his first game since sustaining an ankle injury in the Heat’s opening match of the season. His drives, flicks and pulls through and over the leg side were a highlight, but one false shot against Siddle brought about his downfall.
A wrong’un by Swepson undid Renshaw in a double-wicket over by the crafty legspinner that appeared to prove decisive until Bryant and Bartlett’s heroics.
Stars captain Marcus Stoinis fell for 43, but it was a subdued knock compared with some of his more rampaging innings.