BBL semi-final: Darren Lehmann urges Melbourne Stars to sack Kevin Pietersen

Australian coach Darren Lehmann has launched into Kevin Pietersen, urging the Melbourne Stars to dump the maverick batsman after the Stars were beaten in Tuesday night's Big Bash League semi-final.

Lehmann took to social media after the Stars were humbled by seven wickets by the Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground.

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"Time for stars to move KP on, spent to (sic) much money on him and didn't win. Don't want to listen to his excuses anymore," Lehmann wrote on Twitter.

The comments however earned a rebuke from Stars president Eddie McGuire.

"KP is not the highest paid player at the Stars for a start, he has delivered is spades," McGuire said on his Triple M breakfast show.

"The last three Big Bash leagues, KP is second only to Chris Lynn for runs scored. He has brought in that many people.

"(During) the last two years, which team has had the biggest crowds in the history of the Big Bash? He is a crowd favourite.

"Why would Darren Lehmann be sticking his head into the Stars?"

Pietersen, the former England captain never afraid to offer an opinion, made only five against the Scorchers on a slow wicket he seemed dumbfounded by. He would leave the field early in the Scorchers innings with a hamstring strain and not return.

Stars board member and chairman of selectors Damien Fleming was forced to defend the high-priced Pietersen during Channel Ten's coverage.

"He does a lot of marketing, a lot of promotion. Up until now the Melbourne Stars are very happy with the way he has contributed," he said.

Lehmann's spray came days after Pietersen criticised Cricket Australia for not releasing Stars allrounder Marcus Stoinis from the one-day international squad to play for the Stars in what proved to be a loss to the Sydney Sixers on Saturday night. Stoinis did not play for Australia on Sunday against Pakistan.

Pietersen, contracted until the end of the 2017-18 campaign, also claimed the BBL had more stars than international cricket this summer.

"Does he (Pietersen) need to make those comments? Probably not. They are big men, they can make those comments and deal with the consequences," Fleming said.

It's understood Pietersen, 36, pockets more than $200,000 a year from the Stars and Cricket Australia for his six-week stint from late December. He joined the Stars in 2014.

He opted to not fire back at Lehmann, instead thanking all the "super staff" at Cricket Australia, Channel Ten and the Stars for "being so great".

The title captain David Hussey said would have completed the Stars will have to wait at least another season after their championship hopes were crushed by former Test spearhead Mitchell Johnson. This was the sixth straight finals appearance by the Stars that has ended in disappointment.

The top-of-the-table Scorchers will host the final on Saturday night and await the winner of Wednesday night's clash between the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers at the Gabba.

Johnson ripped the heart out of the Stars with the stunning figures of 3-3 off four overs, including a double-wicket maiden to start the match. He claimed batting kingpins Rob Quiney, Luke Wright and Pietersen in a burst reminiscent of his days as Australia's attack dog. By the time Pietersen fell, leaving the Stars struggling 3-21, the contest already appeared to be a one-day procession. 

Johnson became only the second man in the six seasons of the BBL to deliver two maidens, and the first run off the bat from him did not come until the final ball of his third over.

"I just don't feel the pressure at the top ... I enjoy the new ball in my hand," he said.

"Towards the end of this tournament, I have felt the rhythm has really been there."

Johnson's performance will spark more calls for him to come out of international retirement and represent Australia in next month's Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.

Chasing 137 for victory, the Scorchers got home with more than three overs to spare.

There was controversy when opener Sam Whiteman appeared to be caught behind on 13 off Scott Boland but umpire Shawn Craig denied the appeal. Pietersen made his feelings clear on the Channel Ten's broadcast. 'It was a shocker ... massive nick," he said.

Pietersen would soon strain a hamstring and leave the field. He did not return. It was that type of night for the Stars.

Fleming said this loss would hurt. "As we keep saying, at least we keep giving ourselves an opportunity each year by making the semi-finals .. they are going to be hurting big time," he said.

Now the season is over, team management will sit down with skipper Hussey in the next week and decide whether he plays on next season.

"David Hussey, the captain, is he going to retire? There is one big potential change," Fleming said.

The Stars needed quick wickets and Dan Worrall, in his first match of the season because of injury, delivered when he had Michael Klinger snapped up at slip. They needed more scalps quickly but these did not come.

The silky Shaun Marsh, after a rugged start to the BBL campaign, posted his second half-century in as many matches, and will head to New Zealand with the Australian one-day squad on Friday in good touch. He will miss the BBL final because of this series.

"It was nice to be out there at the end ... the confidence was there, it was just about taking it out into the middle," Marsh said.

The veteran batsman rated Johnson's spell as one of the best Twenty20 spells he had seen.

While they had lost their past two matches, the Stars went into this contest with confidence. That was tested very quickly when Quiney fell for his second golden duck in three innings, this time clipping Johnson to deep fine leg where Jhye Richardson was waiting.

If that wasn't bad enough, Wright - having come off successive half-centuries - fell on the third ball when he sliced straight to gully. Suddenly, the Stars were without two of their batting bedrocks.

This brought Pietersen and Seb Gotch together on a deck which was dry and slow and difficult to generate pace from. Pietersen appeared almost dumbfounded by the conditions, and it showed when he flicked a Johnson delivery to Michael Klinger at mid-wicket.

With the three men they have relied upon through the tournament already gone, it was up to Gotch - the son of former VFL-AFL footballer Brad - and a rejigged middle order to revive fortunes.

Gotch was instrumental in this, and would smack three boundaries and three sixes. In only his third BBL match, he showed he was a player of the future.

Stoinis, back in Perth for the third time in little over a week, having been released from the Australian one-day squad, was desperate to have an impact but failed to do so.

Hussey hadn't been able to find consistent touch this summer but he was in an aggressive mood, crunching 26 off 20 overs. He took to the spinners and blasted Ashton Turner down the ground for six off his first over. But the off-spinner would have revenge on the next ball when Hussey sliced him straight to deep cover.