Marcus Stoinis can’t rescue Melbourne Stars as bats fail against Brisbane Heat in Big Bash League opener

MELBOURNE Stars have never had the answers in the Big Bash League and last night’s 15-run loss in Brisbane poses plenty of fresh questions, writes Sam Landsberger.

Marcus Stoinis exhausted after being dismissed for 99.

MELBOURNE Stars have never had the answers in the Big Bash League.

And Wednesday night’s 15-run loss in Brisbane posed plenty of fresh questions.

Facing a Heat batting card missing late withdrawal Chris Lynn (hamstring), Brisbane posted 7-206 — the second-highest first-innings total ever at the Gabba.

It followed a mixture of peculiar bowling choices, sloppy execution and crisp batting.

A Marcus Stoinis-James Faulkner partnership restored respectability in the Stars’ innings. In fact, Stoinis’s scintillating batting nearly stole it.

Perhaps he should have. Stoinis at least deserved to celebrate a century, but was dropped twice and then run out on 99 (51 balls) in a dramatic final over.

Marcus Stoinis was on fire against the Heat.

The powerful all-rounder’s lone hand was similar to his unbeaten 146 (117) for Australia in a losing one-day international in Auckland this year.

Stoinis swung hard to send six deliveries into the stands, while a beautiful reverse sweep was one of his six fours. He arrived at the crease with the Stars in trouble at 3-38 and Faulkner joined him at 4-53.

Entering the final over the Stars were 4-183 with Stoinis eight runs shy of a century.

His heroic batting papered over some of the cracks exposed in the Stars’ first match of the season.

With his heroic rescue mission falling short, other questions were raised.

Are Faulkner and Evan Gulbis in the line-up as batsmen?

They bowled just one over each, with Faulkner disappearing after delivering the first over.

The spinners caused trouble, yet young leggie Adam Zampa sent down just three overs. Why?

Brendon McCullum smashes a six off Scott Boland.

It was a disappointing start for new captain John Hastings as captain and bowler.

Hastings and Scott Boland used to be the BBL’s death kings but they each gave up three sixes, five fours and 48 runs from just three overs.

All nine sixes came off the seamers as the Stars got their lengths horribly wrong.

Boland’s first three deliveries were smashed to the fence by Brendon McCullum and his fourth cleared the pickets.

After leaking 0-24 in his first over it was Boland who was given another two instead of Faulkner, Gulbis, Maxwell or Zampa.

Boland’s night didn’t end on 1-48 — he dropped a skied catch in the final over.

Marcus Stoinis is short of his ground on 99.

While the seamers went heavy, it was only light Beer for Heat batsmen. Spinner Michael Beer had his variations on tap.

Beer’s three powerplay overs reaped 2-15 with even McCullum scoring just nine runs from 10 of his deliveries.

Kevin Pietersen cheekily said Beer was bowling faster than Stuart Broad and he later clocked 100km to be one of the Stars’ few shining lights with the ball. But the Stars’ attack again lacked punch. When you take out the froth of Beer it’s a medley of mediums, although Stoinis did cause McCullum’s downfall.

Stars big names Pietersen and Glenn Maxwell both failed with the bat as Brisbane ended their four-match losing streak at the Gabba and extended their winning streak against the Melbourne side to four games.