Australia ODI all-rounder Marcus Stoinis believes a maiden BBL title is within reach for the Melbourne Stars after he helped his side to a comfortable 44-run win over the Adelaide Strikers in Moe.
Stoinis (53 runs from 45 balls) struck his third half-century in four Big Bash innings in a 114-run opening partnership with Ben Dunk then finished with figures of 3-20 from four overs.
Having been sent in at Ted Summerton Reserve in Victoria's Gippsland region on Wednesday, the Stars made 2-167 from their 20 overs then bowled the Strikers out for 123 in the last over of their innings.
"There's some good teams in the competition but I feel we're as dangerous or if not the most dangerous team," Stoinis said.
"It's all about who's playing well towards the end of the season.
"(My form) is going all right ... I'm just happy that we're winning.
"... Preparing for the ODIs a couple of weeks ago things (with my form) were close but not quite what I wanted ... I think consistency is the thing for me.
"I've just tried to keep things really simple, trust my process, and really just believe that I'm good enough."
The loss was the Strikers' third in a row in a slump that has the defending BBL champions in danger of missing the finals.
Stoinis combined with Dunk for the second century opening partnership in franchise history.
Dunk was unbeaten with 72 runs from 53 balls including three sixes and four fours.
Peter Handscomb played a decent cameo role with 36 from 22 balls before he was run out off the last ball of the innings.
Rashid Khan was the pick of Adelaide's bowlers with figures of 1-32 from his four overs.
The Strikers' run chase was in a reasonable state at 3-97 in the 14th over but top-scorer Jake Lehmann's departure for 40 runs sparked a horrendous collapse, the visitors losing 6-26.
"It's a bit of a habit at the moment that we obviously want to break," Lehmann said of his side's losing run.
"But that's just Twenty20 cricket ... once things start going against you in this format it can keep rolling on."
Dwayne Bravo (3-22 from 3.4 overs) and Liam Plunkett (3-21 from four) were also outstanding with the ball for the Stars.
