Sydney leave it late against Titans
by Jason Humphries 26 October 2012, 20:43
The Sydney Sixers left it late before scrambling a last-ball, two-wicket win over the Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday to advance to the Karbonn Smart Champions League Twenty20 final.
Full Scorecard: Super Sixers v Titans
Sydney, chasing the Titans' 163 for five, began the last over of the match, bowled by paceman CJ de Villiers, needing eight runs for victory. Pat Cummins (14 not out) and Mitchell Starc (0 not out) levelled the scores after five balls before stealing a leg bye off the last ball after De Villiers had bowled a bouncer through to keeper Heino Kuhn.
The Sixers finished on 164 for eight and will now face the Highveld Lions in the final at the Wanderers on Sunday.
Sydney had looked well in control of the match as their opening pair of Steve O’Keefe (32) and Michael Lumb (33) pounded 54 runs for the first wicket off just 4.5 overs.
Lumb was the first to depart, caught in the covers off seamer Alfonso Thomas, before Nic Maddinson (20) helped O’Keefe add 31 runs off 3.3 overs for the second wicket.
But Lumb was bowled by off-spinner Eden Links as Sydney lost their way a touch as they lost six wickets for the addition of just 47 runs.
Brad Haddin (3) and Steve Smith (3) were both out cheaply before Moises Henriques and Ben Rohrer (21) steadied the innings.
The aggressive Henriques was the sixth wicket to fall after striking 28 off 18 balls but his bright knock enabled his team to get within striking distance of the final total.
Thomas finished with 2-36.
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David Wiese and Henry Davids had earlier struck contrasting fifties to power the Titans to their final total after the South African team had made a rocky start to their innings.
Opening batsman Davids held the innings together with a well-paced 59 not out off 44 balls with three fours and three sixes but it was Wiese that provided the fireworks as he bludgeoned his way to 61 not out off a mere 28 balls.
The right-handed Wiese raced to the fastest half-century of the tournament, off just 25 deliveries, while his entire innings contained six fours and four sixes.
Davids and Wiese combined for an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 81 off 42 balls while their late assault helped the Titans score 75 runs off the last five overs of their innings.
Sydney’s bowlers had held the upper hand during the early part of the Titan’s innings as the hosts slipped to 82 for five after winning the toss and electing to bat on a two-paced wicket.
Jacques Rudolph (1), Heino Kuhn (13), Martin van Jaarsveld (5), Farhaan Behardien (14) and Roloef van der Merwe (1) all perished in the face of an impressive Sixers’ attack.
But Wiese turned the match on its head with a superb display of power hitting with fast bowler Cummins suffering terribly at the hands of Wiese and Davids as the young fast bowler conceded 51 runs off his four overs.
The height of Wiese’s assault came in the 18 over when 23 runs were scored off seamer Henriques as Wiese struck two sixes over deep midwicket and a four down to fine leg.
Fast bowler Josh Hazelwood ended with 1-19 while left-arm quick Starc captured 2-33.
TITANS – Henry Davids, Jacques Rudolph, Heino Kuhn (wk), Martin van Jaarsveld (capt), Farhaan Behardien, David Wiese, Roloef van der Merwe, CJ de Villiers, Alfonso Thomas, Eden Links, Ethy Mbhalati.
SYDNEY SIXERS – Michael Lumb, Ben Rohrer, Nic Maddinson, Brad Haddin (capt, wk), Steven Smith, Moises Henriques, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan McCullum, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood.
