Adam Zampa defended 11 off the final over as Stars hold nerve in thriller against Sydney Thunder

Melbourne Stars 4 for 165 (Larkin 52*, Cartwright 42, Tanveer Sangha 2-29) beat Sydney Thunder 5 for 161 (Gilkes 56, Billings 43, Coulter-Nile 2-27) by four runs

Stars welcomed the inclusions of Russell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pakistani spinner Qais Ahmad, but were pushed to the brink by Thunder, whose bid for consecutive wins to start the season fell short.

Thunder rue late stutter as Zampa keeps his cool

Their momentum was halted when Billings fell to a brilliant outfield catch from Glenn Maxwell and Thunder then fell in a hole leaving Alex Ross and Ben Cutting a lot of work to do in the final overs.

The pair were up for it as they smashed 12 runs in the penultimate over from a rusty-looking Russell. In a manic final over, where a nervous Stars fumbled in the field marked by a rare dropped catch from Maxwell, a composed Zampa thwarted Cutting’s attempts at a match-winning, result-sealing six by bowling a dot ball.

Zampa wins blockbuster battle with Hales

Zampa’s heroics started in the second over when he had the tough task of bowling to Alex Hales in the powerplay.

The English dynamo drew first blood with a beautiful drive to the boundary to overtake compatriot Luke Wright as the leading overseas run scorer in BBL history. An inventive Hales sought to rattle Zampa and it did the trick on the fourth ball of the over when he went down on one knee and swatted a boundary to backward point.

Zampa, in reply, kept calm and he promptly outwitted Hales on the last ball of the over with a faster delivery that trapped the opener in front.

It kick-started a memorable night for the T20 World Cup champion.

Stoinis’ return ends comically

After being bowled out for a record low of 61 against Sixers, Stars desperately needed batting reinforcements and Marcus Stoinis, obviously, fitted the bill. He missed the season-opener due to a side stain sustained during his starring role at the T20 World Cup.

Stoinis was watchful early, but it wasn’t long before he displayed his trademark pyrotechnics with consecutive boundaries off Daniel Sams in the fourth over. There was an air of anticipation when Stoinis and fellow T20 World Cup winner Maxwell combined in the middle.

The Stars had at least passed the ignominy of Sunday’s collapse, but were shakily positioned at 3 for 62 at the midpoint.

Russell provides cameo under strict protocols

There was excitement over the BBL return of Russell, a prized late signing having last played in the tournament in 2017 after three seasons with, coincidentally, Thunder and Melbourne Renegades.

They took advantage of an increasingly sloppy Thunder who fell apart through dropped catches and wickets off no-balls.

Russell finally entered the fray in the 18th over and, predictably, swung for the fences. His timing was off but he still clubbed two boundaries and spooked Sams in the final over, who bowled consecutive wides down the leg side on the final delivery.

Russell finished with an unbeaten 17 off 9 balls in a sign of what’s ahead during his five-match stint as he capped off his BBL return with a thrilling victory.