The Hobart Hurricanes have failed to recover from an early slump, posting just 8-134 after being sent in to bat in their Big Bash League clash with the Melbourne Stars at the MCG.

Stars quicks Clint McKay (3-25), James Faulkner (2-23) and in-form Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga (2-19) dominated with 7-67 between them.

The Hurricanes lost danger men Ricky Ponting (eight), Travis Birt (three) and Owais Shah (one) early to be 3-28 at the five-over mark, with what was possibly Ponting’s last MCG innings a short one.

By that stage McKay had two wickets and he later claimed opener Tim Paine (46 from 46 balls), who had attempted a cautious rescue effort with skipper George Bailey (26 from 28) during the innings’ middle stages.

Bailey was dropped twice by Cameron White at slip off the bowling of Stars captain Shane Warne, who used his on-field commentary role to take a dig at his rival skipper.

“You’d reckon the Australian T20 captain would be smacking me around the park, wouldn’t you?” he quipped.

Warne then said he’d give White a bowl to revive his confidence, which paid off immediately, White dismissing Bailey in the next over.

Paine hit out against Warne in the 15th over, a rare good one for the Hurricanes which yielded 15 runs, but was dismissed by McKay an over later.

Inventive New Zealander Scott Styris (24 off 17) offered some resistance, but Malinga, coming off record figures of 6-7 in his previous match, gave the tail enormous trouble in the closing overs to prevent a late rally.