Curran, Rauf and Harper star as Stars cruise past Strikers

Melbourne Stars made it two wins in two games with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval, chasing down 156 with ease. A disciplined bowling effort, led by three-wicket hauls from Tom Curran and Haris Rauf, set up the win before Sam Harper's half-century ensured Stars got there with 11 balls to spare.

Strikers never fully got going after being sent in, with Curran striking twice in his first over to remove Chris Lynn and Jason Sangha. Opener Matthew Short held the innings together with a steady 56, adding 55 runs for the third wicket with Liam Scott and 48 for the fourth with Alex Ross. Once he was dismissed in the 14th over, Stars kept things tight with regular wickets.

The combined six overs from Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Swepson went for just 39 while the seamers mixed their pace well. Haris Rauf then cleaned up at the death, picking two in the 19th over to finish with 3 for 28 and restrict Strikers to 155 for 8.

The chase began smoothly for Stars, with Sam Harper and Joe Clarke taking advantage of the powerplay in their 67-run opening stand. Harper was the main aggressor, scoring a 36-ball 55, while Clarke played his part, chipping in with a 19-ball 23 before falling to Lloyd Pope.

Campbell Kellaway chipped in with a handy 22-ball 28 before captain Marcus Stoinis (32* off 22) finished the match with a six off Short's bowling.

Brief scores: Adelaide Strikers 155/8 in 20 overs (Matthew Short 56; Tom Curran 3-35, Haris Rauf 3-28) lost to Melbourne Stars 156/4 in 18.1 overs (Sam Harper 55; Marcus Stoinis 32*) by six wickets.