Glenn Maxwell has savaged a "putrid" performance from the Melbourne Stars after they fell to a third-straight BBL defeat.
The much-hyped Stars were no match for Brisbane Heat on Tuesday night, slumping to a nine-wicket loss at the MCG to remain anchored at the bottom of the ladder.
Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum put on a 101-run stand as the Heat cruised to victory after restricting the Stars to just 141.
With the returning Kevin Pietersen out for 30, Maxwell top-scored for the winless Stars with 50 off 39 balls.
But the allrounder made no secret of his frustration after the game, calling on the team's leaders to step up and describing his own failure to score freely as "embarrassing".
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"We were putrid today," he said.
"We're lucky it's a longer competition this year where we've got at least seven more opportunities ... mathematically, we could still finish top, so I guess that's a positive.
"But the way we're going at the moment, we're not looking like going anywhere but bottom.
"We're playing terrible cricket. We're not probably playing together as a team ... we haven't even got close to putting together a full game, which is what you need to do in T20 cricket."
Skipper John Hastings was among the Stars' worst performers, making a duck and then dropping a sitter at mid-off in the first over to hand master-blaster Lynn a second life.
The Stars host crosstown rivals Melbourne Renegades on Saturday night and will be tempted to make changes to their line-up.
Young spinner Liam Bowe took the Stars' only wicket after earning a call-up against the Heat, while Seb Gotch and Jackson Coleman are among those waiting in the wings.
Maxwell said Hastings needed more support from his teammates but added that some change was necessary.
"I'm not a part of the selection committee with this at all but we probably have to change something," Maxwell said.
"We're not winning games of cricket so you can't just keep moseying along."
