Melbourne Stars spinner Hamish McKenzie says the side has remained positive throughout the season, despite a shaky start, which has led to their change in form. 

The Stars’ finals hopes looked absolutely shattered after going winless for the first five games of the season, before their season did a 180 in the new year.  

This late run of form has thrust them up into fourth on the ladder and are looking to lock in their spot in finals with a win this Sunday.

In addition, the Stars also face a nervous wait, needing other results to fall their way to ensure they’re safely in finals after missing out the last four seasons.

Brisbane Heat’s loss to the first-placed Hobart Hurricanes last night put them one step closer to finals, but results from the weekend’s games – including Melbourne’s clash against Hobart – will have the final say.

“That game last night was a bit touch and go, but all the other teams have done the job so far,” McKenzie told.

“We haven’t really been talking about that but we’ve been talking about our game on Sunday. I think the outlook on the ladder at the start of this week, it was more if we get five wins, we should probably get into the finals.

“We were more concentrated on that, the boys have had a pretty good break. Our last game was I think five days ago, so the boys are raring to go for Sunday. 

“If we get that win, I dare say that the team that we play in the first week of finals probably won’t want to be playing us.” 

The saying ‘new year, new me’ rings true for the Melbourne-based team, having not lost a single game since the calendar rolled over to 2025.

Their recent run of form was kicked off with a five-wicket win over reigning Big Bash Champions Brisbane Heat on New Year’s Day, before winning the first of two Melbourne Derbies against the Renegades in a nailbiting fashion three days later.

The Stars also knocked off the second-ranked Sydney Sixers to the tune of 16 runs, before smashing the Renegades again by a whopping 42-runs. 

McKenzie attributes their mid-season turn around to a change in mindset when the new year rolled around.

“We were pretty big on just starting fresh and we almost thought we were out of finals contention at that point,” He said.

“It was just playing for enjoyment, just not getting too nervous or whatever. 

“I think it’s probably been seen in the team selections that there hasn’t been too much change within the team, so a lot of experience and a wealth of experience with like Siddle, our bowling attack like Siddle, Paris. 

“There’s a lot of first class and international experience within that team. It’s been good to see the boys really go well in the last couple of games.”

However, despite their ugly start, McKenzie says the Stars’ positivity never waivered which has resulted in their turnaround and helped things ‘click’ for the side.

The Stars have also been learning to take the big moments, and created many of their own such as Glenn Maxwell’s 52-ball 90 run innings and Mark Steketee’s 5fa against the Renegades last Sunday.

“We’ve pretty much been positive throughout the season,” McKenzie said.

“Even in those first five games, we look back at moments within games, we’ve pretty much been in every single game and then just lost those big moments.

“You can think back to that game in Perth, we probably just stuffed up, that power player bit and then the game got away from us for like a two over burst. 

“Then that game in Sydney, we probably should have got well over 200 and ended up only getting about 185. 

“There’s so many other games, that game in Canberra as well, but the last four or five games, I think it’s really started to click. 

“Obviously it’s handy having Glenn Maxwell in the team as well, but there’s been big moments in games where boys just stood up either with the ball on the bat and got us home.” 

IMAGE: Melbourne Stars