BBL: How Stars batting weapon Hilton Cartwright found his groove

One of the key architects of the Melbourne Stars’ victory over the Brisbane Heat has explained his incredible form spike.

In-form Melbourne Stars batter Hilton Cartwright has credited crucial advice from Australia’s T20 World Cup hero Marcus Stoinis for turning him into a middle-order player capable of handling any situation.

Cartwright lit up the Gabba with a blistering 79 off 44 balls in the Stars’ 20-run win over the Heat, combining with opener Joe Clarke (85) for an all-time BBL record-breaking 151-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

They rescued their side from a precarious 3-16 to lift them to victory.

Cartwright, now the Stars’ leading run-scorer this season with 203, is finding his groove in the middle order after wanting to bat higher up the order initially.

After his match-turning knock against the Heat, he explained how the global success of Stars teammate Stoinis in learning to handle various situations a batsman faces in T20 cricket was the key to his own mental approach.

“In the past I have always wanted to play up the top but struggled to grasp how I play down the bottom,” Cartwright said.

Marcus Stoinis (right) is having a positive influence on Stars teammate Hilton Cartwright. Picture: AAP

“Having Marcus Stoinis here, he has done a lot of stuff in the IPL and for Australia.

“He has lots of experience batting in the middle order in the back end (of innings) and I have really leaned on him over the last year-and-a-half on how to do that. He has been pivotal in how I approach that situation now.

“Rather than specific advice around how to play, it has been more around situation analysis – the mental side of things rather than the physical.

“I know I can hit sixes and fours but it is around how to approach it; whether you have two overs left or 12 overs left.

“At times, I get really confused about whether I should go out there and hit my first ball for six or soak up 10 balls, so it has been a lot of clarity around that.”

Cartwright, who represented Australia at Test and ODI level in 2017, said he consulted with Stars batting coach Ben Rohrer about tactical plans for individual bowlers and how to play at different venues.

Cartwright was in brilliant form against the Heat. Picture: Getty Images

But he added that he approached his task with the shackles off.

“My role is to come in somewhere after the 10th over, somewhere around the surge, and basically just finish the innings off,” he said.

“We have got complete freedom in how we play. The plan for me stays more or less the same. Teams get into trouble when they are 3-16 and go into their shell.

“The reality is that if you are hitting their bad balls, whether you are 3-16 or 3-116, the situation shouldn‘t matter. It is just about going out with confidence and sticking to how you play your best cricket.

“It is not always going to pay off, but you end up getting results like we did tonight.”

Cartwright had reached double figures in all five previous BBL games this season, with 42 his best score. This time, he went on with it and played a decisive matchwinning hand with Clarke.

Cartwright is learning to bat with the same mindset regardless of the game situation. Picture: Getty Images

His only failure was an innings of 10 in the Stars’ woeful start to the season, where they made an all-time low total of 61 against the Sixers.

“The disaster of the first game was an opportunity for me to be able to do something like I did tonight,” Cartwright said.

“So I was happy to be able to convert all the work I have been doing and get that reward and bat with someone like Joe to build a really good partnership.

“I just love the way Joe went about his business. Even though we lost 3-16, he ramped the next ball. The confidence in him is growing.

“Obviously, we are coming up to play against the Scorchers, who haven’t lost a game … so to get that away win is a huge positive.”

Originally published as BBL: How Stars batting weapon Hilton Cartwright found his groove