'Not in a good way!' Play stopped as season opener rocked by awful ...

The Perth Scorchers opened their BBL14 account with a six-wicket win, but the match was marred by “awful” scenes amid an injury to West Aussie Hilton Cartwright.

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Play was stopped in the BBL14 season-opener after Melbourne star Cartwright failed to get up from an outfield dive.

Teammates and medical staff rushed to his aid in distressing scenes as the 32-year-old was put in a neck brace and stretchered off the field.

“He doesn’t look in a good way – fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious,” teammate Joe Clarke told Fox Cricket.

“I think it looks more like he’s hit his head on the ground when he’s dived in.”

Cartwright was taken straight to hospital as a precaution with the Stars confirming there was concern for the all-rounder’s neck.

The injury soured what had been an exciting season opener with young gun Cooper Connolly (64 off 51) and man of the match Jhye Richardson (3-19) leading the home side to victory.

After winning the bat flip and electing to bat, the call backfired quickly as the Stars found themselves 3-13 in the “worst possible start”.

Skipper Marcus Stoinis led a fightback, but when he fell to a moment of “Hollywood” brilliance from veteran Andrew Tye, Melbourne’s hopes went with it.

MATCH REPORT

It was a horror start for the Melbourne Stars after winning the toss and opting to bat, finishing with 9-146 after their 20 overs.

A maiden over for Jason Behrendorff opened BBL14, with the Stars taking nine balls to finally get off the mark.

But the Stars quickly found themselves 2-3 inside the opening powerplay with Joe Clarke back in the sheds for a nine-ball duck.

Sam Harper followed him for 1 after being trapped plumb by Jhye Richardson - and then opted to burn a bizarre review.

Tom Rogers tried to hang around with his skipper Marcus Stoinis, despite nailing himself in a botched attempted ramp against Behrendorff. But he fell for 14.

Scorchers star Lance Morris gave the Stars the break they desperately needed as he conceded 14 runs off his opening over.

Andrew Tye was unlucky not to have his first victim in the ninth over when Hilton Cartwright had two moments to forget.

The first was the edge that flew to the boundary, and the second a near run out when he was caught out of his crease - but Tye’s soccer attempt just sailed wide.

By the halfway mark, the Stars had recovered to 3-59, as coach Peter Moores praised his side’s “calm”.

But that calm proved short lived when it unravelled for Stoinis.

As the Scorchers opted for the power play, bringing back Richardson into the attack, he broke Stoinis’ bat before the Stars’ skipper pushed his luck.

Trying to chase the single on Andrew Tye’s arm proved too much, as the Scorchers veteran nailed the direct hit to leave Stoinis well short.

“That is absolutely magnificent,” Mark Howard said on Fox Cricket.

“He’s a bit Hollywood - he does stuff like that!” teammate Nick Hobson praised.

“He was pretty pumped.”

With Stoinis gone for 37 off 33, Cartwright followed him just five balls later to leave the visitors reeling again at 5-77.

Beau Webster (19 off 13) came and went as Richardson’s third victim of the night before Englishmen Tom Curran provided some impressive resistance.

He belted 37 from only 19 ball, while Hamish McKenzie and Adam Milne departed for four and two respectively while Brody Couch added four unbeaten at the end.

“I think they are 20 or 30 short the Stars, it was a stuttering innings,” Mark Waugh said.

Scorchers import Finn Allen got Perth off to the best possible start with a mammoth six. But Star Adam Milne had the last laugh when he bowled his Kiwi compatriot the very next ball.

And the Scorchers were in early trouble when fellow opener Keaton Jennings (four off five) nibbled at one from Peter Siddle, to leave Perth 2-15.

Despite Cooper Connolly repeatedly finding the rope, the Scorchers lost another wicket - this time Matty Hurst for just four.

But as Connolly marched on, becoming the first player to raise the bat this BBL season, the Stars copped two injury blows.

Brody Couch was able to bowl on despite a “nasty” fall at the crease.

But Hilton Cartwright wasn’t as fortunate as he was stretchered from the ground in a fielding mishap.

Cartwright had unsuccessfully dived in a bid to stop another Connolly boundary, and immediately clutched at his head/neck.

“He doesn’t look in a good way – fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious,” teammate Joe Clarke told Fox Cricket.

“I think it looks more like he’s hit his head on the ground when he’s dived in.”

The Stars confirmed Cartwright was taken to hospital as a precaution after play was stopped for almost 10 minutes.

Despite the delay, the Scorchers maintained focus to get home with six wickets to spare.

Nick Hobson (27 off 14) and Ashton Turner (37 off 27) got Perth home.

ALLEN’S BBL ARRIVAL… AND DEPARTURE

Finn Allen’s arrival in the BBL promised fireworks, and fans were treated to a huge six before his stumps were rattled by a fellow New Zealander.

Allen, who was the Scorchers’ overseas pre-signing, hit Adam Milne for an “amazing” maximum that soared into the stands at Optus Stadium.

“First ball, it’s going to clear the lot, welcome to the Big Bash Finn Allen,” Mark Howard said.

Before Mark Waugh added: “That is an amazing shot… I tell you what, he has made an impression with the first ball of his stint that is a huge hit. That has gone so high.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a higher ball hit than that.”

But fortunes quickly swung the way of the Stars, with the very next delivery beating the ball and lighting up the zing bails.

“Straight through him, Milne says have some of that… what a start. Milne is pretty happy and there’s a bit of chirp out there,” Howard said.

Welcome to the BBL Finn.

SCORCHERS’ PECULIAR BOWLING DECISION

The Scorchers boast the pace quartet of Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson, Lance Morris and Andrew Tye, which left Mark Waugh with a big question.

Why did young gun Cooper Connolly have to bowl?

The young gun was thrown the ball for two overs, which saw both Ashton Agar and Andrew Tye only bowl three sets of their own.

The 21-year-old took 1/18 from his two overs, and while Andrew Tye had the worst economy, going at 10 runs per over, Agar finished with 3/24.

“That was a poor over from Connolly,” Mark Waugh said.

“I don’t know if he needed to bowl him, but he bowled three or four really lose balls there and it’s just got a bit of momentum for Webster in particular. 10 off 5.”

Waugh also took aim at the final ball of his over, darting it in short and wide aiming to get Beau Webster to hit the deep cover fieldsmen for a single.

Instead, he hit the delivery for a boundary.

“You can hit that anywhere, that… Beau Webster, he was equal to the task and smashed that through cover for four. He’ll take that.”

CARTWRIGHT’S INJURY SCARE

Stars gun Hilton Cartwright was stretchered off the field and was hospitalised in scary scenes whilst chasing down a ball hit to the cover boundary by Cooper Connolly.

The 32-year-old threw his body at the ball, but seemingly was unable to return to hit feet after hitting the ground hard.

Initially, commentators believed he had injured his shoulder but it later appeared that the talented batsmen was grabbing at his neck.

“Gee it doesn’t look good… it looks like he is in a lot of bother Hilton Cartwright,” Mark Howard said.

Mike Hussey then added: “It doesn’t seem fair does it, the effort he put in. He must have sprinted nearly 40 metres and dived full stretch only to injure himself.

“You don’t want to be losing someone the caliber of Hilton Cartwright this early in the tournament, he is a crucial part of this team.”

Later in the innings, sideline reporter Kath Loughnan confirmed the Stars were concerned with his neck.

“The Stars have just told us that Hilton Cartwright is off to hospital, initially we thought it was that left shoulder but he spent a fair few minutes on the ground clutching at his neck,” she said.

“The Stars have confirmed it is his neck they’re worried about. He is conscious, he’s fine and he’s in good spirits but he will be heading now to the hospital for further care.”

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Perth Scorchers line up: Keaton Jennings (import), Finn Allen (import), Cooper Connolly, Matthew Hurst, Ashton Turner (c), Nick Hobson, Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Lance Morris

Melbourne Stars: Tom Rogers, Joe Clarke (import), Sam Harper, Marcus Stoinis (c), Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Tom Curran (import), Hamish McKenzie, Adam Milne (import), Brody Couch, Peter Siddle