Alex Hales fires as Sydney Thunder make Big Bash history against Melbourne Stars

Alex Hales orchestrated the equal-third highest score in BBL history to lift the Sydney Thunder to a 75-run demolition of the Melbourne Stars at Manuka Oval on Tuesday night.

Hales scored the fastest half-century in Thunder history to propel the hosts to 7-219 - their highest ever Big Bash total, breaking the record they set just three days prior.

The Englishman blasted his way past 50 off just 21 balls and finished with 71 from 29 in an onslaught boasting five sixes and eight fours, with the Thunder falling just shy of Hobart's record score of 8-223.

The Stars failed to fire in reply, with Chris Green's 4-34 helping to reduce the visitors to 144 and - as if there was ever any doubt - leaving man of the match honours for Hales.

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The Thunder and their cross-town rivals, the Sydney Sixers, now sit atop the competition ladder with four wins and one defeat. The Sixers are about to lose import Jason Holder, while the Thunder have their entire squad on deck for the remainder as they reach the midway point of the season.

"It is nice knowing you've got 14 group games and hopefully finals, you know you've got time to get settled and get going," Hales said.

"Some of the other guys are playing are playing chunks of three or four games, other guys are coming in and out. It can be tough when that's the case. That was my case when I played at Hobart, I played four or five games and couldn't really get going at all.

"We've recruited really well in that case, I don't think we lose anyone. [Sam Billings] is going to come in and settle into that middle order-keeper role which he has done really well for so many teams. To have a really settled core group and three or four guys on the bench who are easily good enough to slot in at any point, it keeps that competition level high.

"It seems to be the way of the Thunder every year, a lot of guys seem to write them off at the start of the tournament and it was the same sort of thing last year. We got off to a fairly slowish start ... then we played some really good cricket at times.

"Having that core group of players with the addition of Sam and obviously Adam [Milne] bowling 150kms, the emergence of Ollie Davies and Tanveer [Sangha], it's a really exciting group of experienced players and young guns as well.

"We're quietly confident that if we keep our foot on the gas and keep playing aggressive cricket, we can be there at the end, for sure."

So impressive was the 31-year-old that every mistimed shot nearly reached the fence - and those minor chinks in the armour would often be corrected with a boundary immediately after.

Those who had snapped up the last remaining tickets to sell out Manuka Oval with reduced capacity began to wonder if he would etch his name into the history books with a ton.

Only five men have hit centuries for the Thunder before - David Warner and Chris Gayle achieved the feat in successive weeks in December 2011, Shane Watson and Callum Ferguson did it seven days apart in January 2019, and Usman Khawaja did it twice in his golden summer of 2015-16.

Hales would eventually be caught and bowled by Nic Maddison off a slog sweep, heading back to the Sir Donald Bradman Stand with 71 runs to his name from just 29 deliveries.

On this night Khawaja posted 37 to complement another Callum Ferguson half-century (51 from 33) to carry Sydney to a club record, surpassing the 209 runs they scored against the Melbourne Renegades on Boxing Day.

Melbourne openers Marcus Stoinis (27) and Andre Fletcher (18) fired early shots but resistance was ultimately futile in the face of a Thunder thrashing, with Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa each scoring 23 later in the piece.

Green led the way with four wickets but it was again emerging star Tanveer Sangha proving the one to watch, with the spinner claiming 2-17 to continue his breakout campaign in Thunder colours.

"I actually was quite happy with the way we bowled. When you have a guy like Hales who is a world class player, when they get going there is not a lot you can do," Maxwell said.

"I was proud of our guys for sticking in there. It could have got a lot worse and got away from us. The way we fought back and kept them at bay was really pleasing.

"You need everything to go right, and if you lose a couple of wickets, it makes it extremely difficult. As a middle order player ... you've got to go from ball one."

The clash marks the final instalment in Canberra's allotment of six BBL matches this season with the Thunder now shifting to a Queensland hub.

Yet one can only wonder if games slated for Sydney later in the tournament are shifted south to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

AT A GLANCE

Big Bash League: SYDNEY THUNDER 7-219 (Alex Hales 71, Callum Ferguson 51; Adam Zampa 3-49, Billy Stanlake 2-19) bt MELBOURNE STARS 144 (Marcus Stoinis 27, Glenn Maxwell 23; Chris Green 4-34, Tanveer Sangha 2-17) by 75 runs at Manuka Oval.