Melbourne Stars have shot to their best Big Bash League start since 2013, thumping Sydney Thunder in Canberra for a fourth straight win.

The Stars — the only BBL side without a title — moved to the top of the ladder on Sunday thanks to a nine-wicket win, chasing down the 129-run target with 36 balls remaining.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Near collision averted in BBL fielding drama.

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There was a near catastrophe during the final over of the first innings when two Stars players nearly collided in what would have been a sickening collision.

In the final over the Thunder’s innings, Reece Topley presented the Stars with a catching opportunity when he skied a short ball through the offside.

Coming from opposite directions, Hilton Cartwright and Haris Rauf both sprinted at full pelt in pursuit of the ball.

They both dived as the ball dropped between them, but they remarkably just missed each other, with Cartwright appearing to dodge out of the way at the last moment.

Hilton Cartwright appeared to dodge out of way at last moment. Credit: Channel 7

They were all smiles after the near collision, but it brought back memories of the horror collision between Thunder players Daniel Sams and Cameron Bancroft nearly year ago to the day.

Meanwhile, Joe Clarke (60 off 37 balls), Sam Harper (29 not out off 27) and Glenn Maxwell (39 not out off 20) all found a fluency that had eluded the Thunder batters as Pakistan quick Haris Rauf (3-29) set the tone.

Clarke timed the ball superbly before Maxwell iced the contest with a series of conventional and reverse sweeps that peppered both sides of Manuka Oval.

Maxwell then put a full-stop on a dominant evening with his second six of the game, this time straight down the ground, to pass the target.

His first maximum took Maxwell to 150 BBL sixes, becoming only the second person to achieve the feat, but still well behind Chris Lynn, who has scored an incredible 220 sixes for the Heat and the Strikers.

“We can’t complain; we’re in a nice spot and we have to run with this momentum and we’re doing that,” Stars captain Marcus Stoinis said.

“Different boys are contributing; it feels good, it’s clinical.”

Earlier, Sam Konstas (11 off 15) was close to being run-out twice in his short stay, and opening partner Matt Gilkes (24 off 13) had two lives before succumbing to Rauf all in the same over.

That pair at least gave the Thunder (1-3) an early boost, Gilkes powering them to 0-23 after two overs before both were dismissed and the brakes applied.

David Warner hit Stoinis (2-25) on to the Manuka Oval roof, but was dismissed off the next ball and the Thunder limped to 4-64 after 10 overs and never accelerated.

Rauf dismissed Sam Billings just as he threatened to build an innings of substance, then celebrated for a third time when Chris Green flicked a ball straight to short fine leg.

Stars recruit Mitchell Swepson (2-18 from four overs) made an instant impact, the spinner knocking over Konstas with his first delivery, then trapping Cameron Bancroft in front.

“We’ve shown we can also drag it back; they started off well,” Stoinis said.

“It shows we’re in the contest and thinking clearly.

“It (the Stars’ good energy) started last year; it felt like we’d never left and the messages were quite clear.”

- With AAP