It was raining sixes in Lucknow after Marcus Stoinis launched a stunning assault on the Mumbai Indians' bowlers to take Lucknow Super Giants to the brink of a playoff spot in the Indian Premier League.
The allrounder smote eight sixes and four fours in a 47-ball unbeaten 89 that lifted LSG to 3-177. Of those 54 came in the last three overs as the West Australian cut loose after skipper Krunal Pandya retired hurt for 49.
He was the only Australian smiling at the end of a tense match with Indians' trio of compatriots left to sweat on their team's progress after Tim David and Cam Green failed to get Mumbai across the line.
The pair of big-hitters came together with 33 required off 14 balls. Unthinkable once, par scoring in modern T20.
After David smashed two sixes in the penultimate over, and a no ball went to the boundary, that came down to a very gettable 11 off the final over.
But Green, new to the crease, could only scramble two off four balls off Moshin Khan's superb set and David three off two, leaving Indians six short at 5-172. David finished on 32 off 19 balls, Green four off six.
"It's not the easiest wicket but if you give yourself some time, it gets a bit easier," Stoinis said. Green, surprisingly batting at No.7, did not have that time.
Stoinis made 42 off his last 12 balls after successfully reviewing an lbw, including successive sixes of the game's fourth Australian, Jason Behrendorff. The bowler nevertheless finished with a creditable 2-30 off his four overs while Green, who had also been put over the ropes by Stoinis, was 0-16 off his two.
"He played really well, assessed the situation and played to his strengths, a lot of credit to him," said Indians captain Rohit Sharma of Stoinis.
Indians did look like chasing the target down after Ishan Khan made a 39-ball 59 at the top of the order and Rohit 37 off 25. But wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2-26) dismissed both and with Surykumar Yadav falling cheaply runs became harder to get.
Tuesday's win took Super Kings to third on 15 points with a game to play. Yet with the table so tight they could still miss out. Mumbai are a point behind in the fourth and final playoff place, still in contention but with a poor net run rate.
