One of cricket's most astute judges, Stephen Fleming, predicts the 80,883 crowd that swamped the MCG for the Melbourne Big Bash League derby will "send absolute shockwaves through the cricketing world".

Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, has long coached in front of raucous crowds in India, at the helm of Chennai in the IPL. Nevertheless, the 42-year-old was visibly stunned by the size of the crowd that watched his Melbourne Stars reach their target of 162 with seven wickets and five balls to spare against Melbourne Renegades on Saturday night.

"It's just extraordinary where this competition is going," said Fleming, who is in his first year as coach of the Stars. "The crowd support is astonishing."