Melbourne Stars 156 for 5 (Maxwell 58*, Webster 48, Abbott 3-29) beat Sydney Sixers 140 for 9 (Vince 53, Steketee 3-14, Mir 2-19, Siddle 2-26, Stoinis 2-30) by 16 runs

But Maxwell made no mistake when he hung on to a high catch in the deep, leading to Vince departing for 53 on Thursday night.

The 36-year-old almost spilled the chance, too, and stayed on the ground for a long time in pure relief.

Just two balls later, Maxwell was in the action again when he took a catch to dismiss Sixers captain Moises Henriques, sparking passionate, animated celebrations with Stoinis and other Stars players.

Maxwell was overlooked for Australia's Test tour of Sri Lanka on Thursday, with selectors preferring younger options in the squad.

After a fairytale debut for Australia, Webster's golden run continued when he was out off a no-ball and was called back, then was dropped by Vince.

Play was stopped for about two minutes after a seagull was taken down by a powerful shot from Vince.

After starting the season 0-5, the Stars can still qualify for finals if they beat the Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes in their remaining two games and other results go their way.

The Sixers (4-2, one no-result) missed a golden opportunity to consolidate their position on top of the table ahead of a clash at the SCG on Saturday against the Perth Scorchers.