However, he showed on Sunday - with two spectacular catches against the Hobart Hurricanes - that his value extends well beyond his batting skills, as he twice helped swing the match in favour of the Stars, who eked out a close 10-run victory.
Fletcher made 10 of the Melbourne Stars’ 183 for 6 from their 20 overs, thanks mainly to Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 55-ball 97 that included seven fours and seven sixes; 36 from Hilton Cartwright and 26 from the in-form Nicholas Pooran.
Riley Meredith, who had Fletcher caught behind after his four-ball stay at the crease ended with 2 for 25 but it was Nathan Ellis, who dismissed Cartwright and Pooran, who was the Hurricanes’ best bowler with 3 for 31.
Daunting as the target might have seemed, Ben McDermott seemed headed to make light work of it with a blazing knock of 91 off just 58 balls and included eight fours and five sixes. It was while going for his sixth six that Fletcher intervened, changing the direction of the match in the process.
On the last ball of the 19th over, Liam Hatcher (1 for 45) served up a thigh-high full toss wide outside off McDermott, who flayed it flat over extra cover. Fletcher, known as the Spiceman, raced close to 10m to his left before taking off like Superman to hold on to a spectacular catch to have the Hurricanes at 163 for 5.
Fletcher’s blinder was his second of the match.
At the fall of the Hurricanes’ second wicket, that of Dawid Malan for 26 with the score 89, Colin Ingram and McDermott flayed the Stars’ bowling to all parts putting together a 50-run stand in just 22 balls.
It was a partnership that was threatening to take the match away from the visitors when in the 17th over, Billy Stanlake (1 for 41) bowled one full and wide. Ingram sliced it in the air over extra cover. Fletcher charged in, misread the flight of the ball and then adjusted as the ball began to tail away towards the boundary rope.
At the last minute, Fletcher dove to his right and snatched the ball inches off the ground before breaking out into a celebratory dance.
It was then 139 for 3, with the Hurricanes still in the hunt until Fletcher struck out in the field once more.
Hilton Cartwright (58 not out off 56 balls) guided the table-topping Stars to 141-6 from their 20 overs at the MCG.
That appeared a below-par total despite a slow pitch, but Perth struggled as Nic Maddinson (3-24) helped the Stars to a 10th win in 11 games.
The Scorchers finished on 131-9 as their chase fell apart in the second half of their innings, the loss a blow to their play-off chances.
CARTWRIGHT IN CONTROL FOR STARS
On a slow wicket, Cartwright ended up playing the key role for the Stars with the bat.
The opener's innings included seven fours, although it looked like his side were at least 20 runs short after electing to bat first.
The Stars were 34-3 in the eighth over when Maddinson fell, but Cartwright's ability to see out the innings after Marcus Stoinis (6) went cheaply proved crucial.
MARSH RUN-OUT COSTLY
Perth appeared in control in their chase, reaching 62-2 off nine overs and needing 80 off the final 11.
However, Mitchell Marsh (11) was run out to begin the 10th over and the Scorchers' middle and lower order failed.
MARVELLOUS MADDINSON
Glenn Maxwell's decision to bowl Maddinson late in the Perth innings looked a risky one, but it paid off spectacularly.
Cameron Bancroft (32) was the key man for the Scorchers, but was removed by Maddinson.
The right-hander produced a powerful drive from a low full toss, only for Maddinson to take an incredible return catch.
Maddinson also had Tim David (11) and Matthew Kelly (5) stumped as the Scorchers capitulated late in their chase.
Perhaps irked by his duck in the Melbourne derby against the Renegades two days ago, Stoinis carried his bat in a wonderful unbeaten 147 – the highest score ever in the Big Bash League.
Stoinis' effort blew the previous best – a 122 not out from D'Arcy Short – out of the water and the Stars were close to going through their entire 20 overs without a losing a wicket.
However, Hilton Cartwright (59) holed out to deep midwicket from the first ball of the final over as the Stars reached 219-1, marking the third highest score in the competition's history.
Still, the duo's stand of 207 also represented a record and, though the Sixers made a decent 175-7 in reply, in truth Stoinis' heroics meant the visitors were on a hiding to nothing at the MCG.
STOINIS PRODUCES 'I WAS THERE' PERFORMANCE
Stoinis' performance was so good that had you not seen it you might not have believed what was going on.
In total, there were eight sixes and 13 fours from 79 balls of utter excellence, Stoinis finishing in typically brilliant fashion with a hook over backward square leg off Sam Curran.
That came after a remarkable penultimate over in which Stoinis scored 24 runs off the luckless Ben Dwarshuis.
Cartwright provided a fine foil with three sixes and six fours off 40 deliveries, but the evening belonged to one man, with the MCG crowd offering a huge ovation to Stoinis.
SIXERS FAIL TO BUILD A PLATFORM
If there was any hope for the Sixers it may have come from the 2017 classic between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Renegades, which coincidentally also took place on January 12.
On that occasion, the Hurricanes successfully chased 223, with that match providing the two highest totals in BBL history.
The Sixers needed everything to go their way, though, and, well, it just did not happen.
Moises Henriques (41) and Dwarshuis (42) made good scores but there were not enough substantial partnerships to trouble the Stars, for whom Clint Hinchcliffe finished with 3-20.
James Vince hit an unbeaten century to help the Sydney Sixers chase down 194 and defeat the Melbourne Stars in Australian Big Bash League action at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Jono Wells was instrumental to the Strikers' 162-4, sharing in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 71 with Matthew Short, before the duo of Peter Siddle and Rashid Khan frustrated the Stars' batsmen with the ball.
The win saw Adelaide move above Sydney Sixers in the table, both sides on 15 points, five behind the Stars.
Wells' knock gave the home side's innings much-needed impetus after Phil Salt, Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey all got starts without going beyond 40.
The Tasmanian hit two sixes and four fours in a 36-ball 55 which, alongside Short's 23, gave the Adelaide bowlers something to work with.
Michael Neser and Siddle immediately applied the pressure, with the latter also claiming the prize wicket of BBL top run-scorer Marcus Stoinis (5) after he mistimed a drive towards long-on and was snaffled by Salt.
And the Stars were put further on the back foot when Rashid bowled the dangerous Nic Maddinson with his second ball.
Wes Agar accounted for Nick Larkin and Glenn Maxwell and Neser snared Seb Gotch, with Adelaide always seemingly in control.
However, Peter Handscomb (65 not out) helped the Stars reach the final over requiring 22 to complete a remarkable win.
Home skipper Travis Head turned to veteran Siddle and he saw the Strikers home with two wickets as Melbourne were restricted to 151-8.
Handy Hinchliffe
Clint Hinchliffe's left-arm spin had only reaped five wickets in the BBL this season but he was the Stars' best bowler while the more established Daniel Worrall and Adam Zampa struggled.
Hinchliffe took 3-19, including a sharp caught and bowled to remove Weatherald, to keep the Strikers top order from cutting loose.
Head Boy ends the 'Big Show'
Melbourne's best chance of chasing down the Adelaide total rested on the shoulders of Maxwell.
But the 'Big Show' failed to wow the crowds as he holed out to Head off the bowling of Agar for 19.
Super Siddle shows he's still got it
The pressure was on Siddle at the beginning and end of the Melbourne innings and he delivered both times, finishing with figures of 4-33 from his four overs.
The former Australia international cleverly varied his length and pace and proved far too wily for the Stars line-up.
