Sydney crush Lions to win CLT20
by Thahir Asmal 28 October 2012, 20:08
Michael Lumb smashed a magnificent unbeaten 82 as the Sydney Sixers crushed the Highveld Lions to win the Karbonn Smart Champions League Twenty20 by 10 wickets at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Full Scorecard: Lions v Sydney
The Englishman showed sublime form during his 42-ball innings, striking five sixes and eight fours to help the Australians chase down the 122 victory target with 7.3 overs to spare.
Lumb, who eventually ended as the top run-scorer in the tournament with 226 runs, was given able support by captain Brad Haddin (37 off 33 balls), but in truth, the win was set up by their bowlers after a fine effort helped restrict the home side to a poor 121 all out.
Nathan McCullum (3-24) and Josh Hazlewood (3-22) were the stars of the show, sharing six wickets between them.
The Lions had initially slumped to nine for four and they never recovered, despite a career-best 51 off 46 from Jean Symes.
They seemed overwhelmed by the big occasion and so it proved with the visitors sealing a one-sided win.
Haddin had initially won the toss on a good batting track and opted to field first at a packed Bullring.
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Sydney then surprised their South African counterparts by opening with the spin of New Zealander McCullum rather than Mitchell Starc, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
The third ball of the innings was clubbed for a straight six by Gulam Bodi, at that stage the top run-getter in the tournament, but McCullum extracted revenge next ball when he had the opener caught by Ben Rohrer at deep square leg for six.
After a quiet second over, Hazlewood knocked the stuffing out of the Lions by dismissing Quinton de Kock (one) and Neil McKenzie (nought), while Steve O’Keefe had captain Alviro Petersen (one) caught by McCullum at first slip in the next over.
The Wanderers was stunned into silence, but Symes gave them something to cheer about in the next over when he took two boundaries off Starc to get the innings going.
The promoted Sohail Tanvir (11) was next to go at the other end, trapped leg before wicket by McCullum, with Symes helping his side reach the halfway stage on 50 for five.
Along with Thami Tsolekile they put on 41 for the sixth wicket, although the wicketkeeper fell at a crucial stage for 20 as they entered the final five overs – McCullum again the man to strike.
Dwaine Pretorius (21 off 13) struck two sixes during his brief stay to keep the scoreboard ticking, but once he fell, followed by Symes, the Lions limped painfully past 120.
The home team made a good start with the ball until the fourth over when Chris Morris went for three fours.
They did not help themselves in the seventh and eight overs when Bodi and Pretorius dropped simple chances from each of the batsmen, the ball also running away for boundaries in the process.
By then the writing was on the wall and Lumb went to 50 in 33 balls, before surpassing Bodi’s mark of 208 runs.
He then struck Pretorius for 6-6-4 to win the game as Sydney celebrated.
HIGHVELD LIONS – Alviro Petersen (capt), Gulam Bodi, Quinton de Kock, Neil McKenzie, Dwaine Pretorius, Jean Symes, Thami Tsolekile (wk), Chris Morris, Sohail Tanvir, Dirk Nannes, Aaron Phangiso.
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.
