Sydney Sixers tame Nashua Titans to enter CLT20 Final

By Sheriff Michaels

Sydney Sixers to meet Highveld Lions in CLT20 Final

CENTURION, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 27, 2012: High-flying Sydney Sixers left it late to defeat Nashua Titans by two wickets on final delivery of their Semi-Final encounter in the Champions League Twenty20 2012 at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday.

Sydney Sixers have joined Highveld Lions in the Champions League Twenty20 2012 Final which will be played on October 28 (Sunday) at Johannesburg.

After winning the toss, the South African domestic Twenty20 champions Nashua Titans decided to bat first and put on a formidable total of 163 runs on the board for the loss of five wickets after losing half of their batsmen for mere 82 runs from 13.3 overs.

Nashua Titans’ top-scoring batsman in CLT20 Jacques Rudolph (1 from 5) failed to live up to the expectations and his partner Heino Kuhn (13 from 15 – 3 fours) also couldn’t put up a good show with the bat as the opening pair was back in the pavilion with total at 22 from four overs.

Skipper Martin van Jaarsveld (5 from 4 – 1 four) and an in-form Farhaan Behardien (14 from 21) couldn’t provide the goods for the home side as a quagmire of problems started haunting the domestic T20 champions big.

Nashua Titans were reeling at 82/5 after 13.3 overs as all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe (1 from 3) lost his wicket to Henriques and needed someone to raise his game to the big occasion.

However, opening batsman Henry Davids (59 not out from 44 – 3 fours, 3 sixes) and David Wiese (61 not out from 28 – 6 fours, 4 sixes) played the innings of their lifetimes and hit 81 runs from final 45 balls and hit 72 runs off the last four overs to give their side a reasonable chance of setting up a rematch of the South Africa’s domestic T20 competition final.

Josh Hazelwood proved his mettle yet again for the Sydney Sixers with figures of 1 for 19 from his four overs as Titans batsmen found it difficult to get him away to the ropes. Mitchell Starc proved a little expensive for his two wickets for 33 runs while his fellow fast bowler Pat Cummins proved the biggest failure with the ball for the Australian domestic T20 champions as he went for 51 runs from his four overs. Steve O’Keefe was methodical with the ball as he allowed only 19 runs from his 24 deliveries while Moises Henriques grabbed a wicket for 36 runs.

Sydney Sixers got off to a confident start with Steve O’Keefe (32 from 21 – 6 fours) and Michael Lumb (33 from 19 – 6 fours, 1 six) scoring 54 for the opening wicket partnership from only 4.5 overs.

The opening wicket partnership took the sting out of the target as the asking run-rate dropped down to 7.33 runs per over from original 8.2 runs per over.

Nic Maddison (20 from 15 – 2 fours, 1 six) kept the momentum and with O’Keefe added 31 valuable runs for the second wicket from 21 balls as match started to slip away from Nashua Titans.

However, three quick wickets of Nic Maddison, skipper Brad Haddin (3 from 5) and Steve O’Keefe brought Nashua Titans back in the reckoning and when Steve Smith (3 from 6) was run out at 113 runs, the Sydney Sixers had already lost half of their side still having to do a lot to win the affair.

Asking rate was not really a problem but wickets were tumbling down quickly which put Sydney Sixers under tremendous pressure and their lower middle-order batsmen needed to take rearguard action. Moises Henriques (28 from 18 – 1 four, 2 sixes) and Ben Rohrer (21 from 24 – 1 four) kept Sydney Sixers in the hunt but when Henriques was removed by Mbhalati, Nathan McCullum (Duck) came as a wicket-tumbling package for the Nashua Titans.

The game became more intriguing with Rohrer getting out on second ball of the penultimate over thus leaving everything on the young shoulders of two fast bowlers Pat Cummins (14 not out from 10 – 1 six) and Mitchell Starc (0 not out from 1) as a couple of leg byes were followed by a smartly taken bye on final delivery of the match which made them cross the line with two wickets in hand.

It was arguably the best match of the Champions League Twenty20 2012 and both teams were evenly poised to win it but Sydney Sixers showed better understanding of how to tackle pressure in a pressure-cooker situation and managed to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

Alfonso Thomas took two wickets for 36 runs while Eden Links (3-0-24-1), Ethy Mbhalati (4-0-34-1), Cornelius de Villiers (3-0-31-1) and Roelof van der Merwe (4-0-23-1) all took one wicket apiece.

Steve O’Keefe was declared Man of the Match for an all-round performance as the mouth-watering Australia vs South Africa final of the Champions League Twenty20 will be played on Sunday.

Man of the Match Steve O’Keefe told the presentation party, “Opening the batting was good fun. Hadds (Brad Haddin) came to me three days ago if I wanted to open, and I jumped at the opportunity. Probably the first time I have been Man of the Match without taking a wicket, but I will take it. Not our most clinical performance, but we have a final coming up”.

Sydney Sixers skipper Brad Haddin said, “We got our jail-free card. No matter what format you play, you have got to execute your skills. We panicked a bit, I think, but we are going into the final. We can think of anything of this game, but the bottom line is we have a final to play this Sunday. We have played Lions before, and they are similarly stacked as us. I think the two best teams have made it to the final”.

Nashua Titans captain Martin van Jaarsveld told the presenter, “Really disappointed but really proud how we kept fighting. With the bat we were down and out. I have been talking him up through the tournament, and boy did he shine tonight. Our execution up top is not where we'd like it to be, and that's where we lost. A bitter pill to swallow!”

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Highveld Lions oust last of the IPL franchises from CLT20

By Sheriff Michaels

Another match-winning show by Neil McKenzie

DURBAN, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 26, 2012:The Highveld Lions stormed their way into final of the Champions League Twenty20 2012 on Thursday when they outclassed last IPL franchise in the competition Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-final by 22 runs at Kingsmead in Durban.

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The Highveld Lions also put an end to all the speculations about another South African side getting choked at the semi-finals of a big tournament by eliminating the quality IPL side Delhi Daredevils.

Highveld Lions scored 139 for 5, thanks to Gulam Bodi’s half century and 46 not out from Niel McKenzie and while Kevin Pietersen (50) did his best to make a match of the Lions’ batting performance, he lacked support from his mates as the Delhi Daredevils were restricted to 117 for nine from their 20 overs, 22 runs short of their target.

On a bouncy and seaming wicket at Kingsmead in Durban, Delhi Daredevils skipper Ross Taylor decided to bowl first after winning the toss thus relying on his bowling might to topple the Highveld Lions who like to chase down targets.

The Delhi Daredevils team management surprised all and sundry by including Australian opening batsman David Warner, who hadn’t played any game in the Champions League Twenty20 2012 before, in the team in place of Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene.

Gulam Bodi hits 3rd fifty in CLT20

Ross Taylor was hoping his bowlers would strike early with the new ball on the bouncy track with conditions favoring the new leather to move in the air quite a bit. However, Highveld Lions openers Gulam Bodi (50 from 49 – 4 fours, 1 six) and skipper Alviro Petersen (24 from 19 – 3 fours, 1 six) stayed there for 5.2 overs before Umesh Yadav got rid of Petersen with total at 34 runs.

Young South African batting sensation Quinton de Kock (11 from 13 – 2 fours) failed to force the issue and top-edged one from Ajit Agarkar when he tried to break free and blasted one in the air with Unmukt Chand judging a swirling catch to the perfection.

Alviro Petersen, surprisingly, promoted Dwaine Pretorius (3 from 6) in the batting order ahead of Neil McKenzie but the veteran Twenty20 specialist batsman eventually had to come out with a rescuing job in hand after Highveld Lions were reduced to 63 for three after 10.4 overs.

The Highveld Lions needed someone to not only stabilize the innings but also push the acceleration button to achieve a fighting total with time and balls both running out quickly.

However, Gulam Bodi and Neil McKenzie (46 not out from 28 – 4 fours, 1 six) joined hands for a brilliant partnership of 59 runs from 44 balls which resurrected the innings to a great degree.

However, two quick wickets towards the end didn’t allow the Highveld Lions to achieve that magical 150-run total as Bodi and Jean Symes (Duck) got out in a hurry and Chris Morris (3 not out from 4) couldn’t really launch his big hits against quality fast bowling of Umesh Yadav.

In the end, the Highveld Lions scored 139 for five from their 20 overs, which was very much more than a fighting total when consider the playing conditions at Kingsmead.

Umesh Yadav was the most successful bowler for Delhi Daredevils as he grabbed two wickets for 20 runs. Irfan Pathan went for 27 from his four overs, Morne Morkel took a wicket for 32 runs from his four, Ajit Agarkar captured a wicket for 28 runs, while a combination of Kevin Pietersen and Pawan Negi leaked 31 runs for a wicket from four overs.

The Highveld Lions had a huge task in hand when their bowlers took the field as they were required to strike early and Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir got rid of dangerous man Virender Sehwag for a first-ball duck as the hard-hitting batsman tried to impose him without getting hold of the playing conditions and eventually paid the price.

However, David Warner (21 from 18 – 4 fours) and Kevin Pietersen (50 from 44 – 3 fours, 1 six) put their heads down for a 35-run partnership for second wicket from 31 balls which very much undid the early damage.

While Kevin Pietersen looked good in maneuvering the ball in vacant spaces, his partners completely failed to find their feet moving at Kingsmead and India’s young sensation Unmukt Chand (9 from 20) failed to impress with his lack of ability to get accustomed to high bounce of the track.

Irfan Pathan (1 from 2), skipper Ross Taylor (1 from 5), Naman Ojha (7 from 4 – 1 six), Pawan Negi (Duck), and Aji Agarkar (2 from 7) all failed miserably to give a helping hand to Kevin Pietersen who eventually lost his wicket to Chris Morris in a bid to achieve the ever-increasing asking rate.

In the end, Delhi Daredevils were restricted to 117 for nine from their 20 overs and fell 22 runs short of their opponents’ total.

Sohail Tanvir was impressive with his pace and bounce as he took a wicket for 22 runs from his four overs. Australian fast bowler Dirk Nannes also bowled with great pace and hostility as he captured two wickets for 34 runs from his four overs. Chris Morris proved the main difference between the two sides as he gave away only seven runs from his four overs taking two wickets. The off-spinner Aaron Phangiso also took two wickets for 18 runs from his spell.

Neil McKenzie was rightly declared Man of the Match for playing yet another anchor-sheet role innings that saved the day for the South African domestic Twenty20 side Highveld Lions.

Highveld Lions enter Champions League Twenty20 Final

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CLT20: Auckland Aces crash out, Titans complete SF line-up

By Sheriff Michaels

The Journey Ends for Auckland Aces after Sterling Show at CLT2012

CENTURION, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 23, 2012: Perth Scorchers registered their first victory at the Champions League Twenty20 2012 on Tuesday when they kicked Auckland Aces out of the competition with a 16-run victory at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

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The Auckland Aces needed to win this match to stay alive in the competition and they might have got a great chance because the other match of the day between Delhi Daredevils and Nashua Titans was washed out after the toss.

Delhi Daredevils and Nahua Titans qualified into the Semi-Finals of the Champions League Twenty20 2012 from Group A while Sydney Sixers and Highveld Lions joined them from Group B.

First Semi-Final will be played between Delhi Daredevils and Highveld Lions on October 25 at Kingsmead in Durban while Sydney Sixers will take on Nashua Titans in the second Semi-Final scheduled for October 26 at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Final of the Champions League Twenty20 2012 will be played on October 28 at Johannesburg.

Perth Scorchers skipper Marcus North won the toss and decided to bat first. Auckland Aces would also have loved to bat first to register a thumping victory over the BigBashLeague side but it wasn’t to be the case.

Perth Scorchers scored 140 runs for the loss of seven wickets from their 20 overs before Auckland Aces succumbed to a pressure of their own minds to manage only 124 for eight from their quota of 20 overs, thus falling 16 runs short of the target.

Former South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs (6 from 6 – 1 four) continued to prove a failure on his home ground but skipper Marcus North (37 from 35 – 4 fours, 1 six) and Simon Katich (21 from 23 – 2 fours) undid the early loss with 55 runs partnership for second wicket.

Both batsmen went back in a quick succession but former England captain Paul Collingwood (38 from 27 – 5 fours) and Tom Beaton (22 from 19 – 1 four, 1 six) upped the tempo during second half of the innings and despite of a late collapse the Perth Scorchers managed to score a fighting 140 runs total on the board.

Michael Bates was the standout performer for the Auckland Aces with the ball as he captured four wickets for 34 runs while Kyle Mills was also useful during his miser spell of none for 14 from four overs. Azhar Mahmood also bowled well during his spell of none for 24 from four while Bruce Martin (4-0-25-0) also kept a lid on scoring rate.

Chasing 141 for victory and a possible qualification, the Auckland Aces got off to a worst start by losing hard-hitting Lou Vincent for only two runs.

However, Martin Guptill (36 from 32 – 3 fours, 1 six) and Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood (23 from 21 – 4 fours) resurrected the innings as they slowly picked up the pace to add 49 valuable runs for the second wicket before Guptill lost his mind to gift his wicket away to Michael Beer with wicketkeeper Ronchi taking a useful catch.

Anaru Kitchen (6 from 6 – 1 four) soon departed and when Azhar Mahmood lost his cool and wicket the Auckland Aces were completely rattled as they lacked someone who could steer the innings to an unlikely looking victory.

Colin Munro (23 from 18 – 1 four, 1 six) did his best to rescue the wrecked ship but lacked support from the other end as Colin de Grandhomme (4 from 4), skipper Gareth Hopkins (9 from 12 – 1 four), and Ronnie Hira (2 from 3) all lost their wickets in a bid to up the scoring rate.

In the end, the Auckland Aces could score 124 for eight and were knocked out of the competition.

Michael Beer, who took three wickets for 13 runs from his four overs, was declared Man of the Match while Joe Mennie (4-0-23-2), Nathan Coulter-Nile (4-0-26-0), Ryan Duffield (3-0-17-1), and Brad Hogg (4-0-30-1) all bowled exceedingly well to defend a lower total successfully.

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Why Brad Haddin should not be recalled

By Adrian Meredith

MELBOURNE, Australia (TheSportsNEXT) October 23, 2012: Australian captain Michael Clarke, vice captain Shane Watson and even chairman of selectors Inverarity have all said that Brad Haddin is in the mix for selection for the Australian test squad.

So allow me to say why this is a very bad idea!

First off, there is his age. At 34 years of age, Brad Haddin is far from a young fellow. Indeed, he is turning 35 this week. That is just about retirement age for professional cricketers. Matthew Wade, in comparison, is 24, soon to hit his expected peak (about age 28 or so). Wade should be getting better and better while Haddin should be getting worse. If all things were equal, you would pick the 24 year old ahead of the 34 year old every time.

Next, Wade is in great form. In his last match he scored 89 and took 7 catches (4 and 3). He averages 39.60 in his 3 test matches and has been taking dismissals well.

Wade is a far superior keeper. Wade is clearly the best keeper in Australia, while Haddin at best was number 4. Wade has always been 1st or 2nd best - most dismissals in a season and most dismissals per match.

While when Wade first started out, Haddin was a better batsman, right now Wade is superior.

Wade is in the team. Why drop him?

Haddin left the team due to his poor form. Granted that he finally left due to family reasons but he was likely to be dropped anyway. If you are dropped due to poor form, you need to do something astounding to return. Haddin hasn't done that.

Brad Haddin's recent form has him scoring 114 & 7 (as well as 2 catches) in the last first class match - and has followed that up with some decent scores in T20s. But in his 7 first class matches before that he failed to get to double figures once!

As far as having Haddin in as a specialist batsman, he isn't good enough, not by a long shot. At his peak, Haddin could have played in T20s and even ODIs but now there is no justification for him to play in any version.

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CLT20: Rain washes out Mumbai Indians vs Yorkshire

By Sheriff Michaels

Rain puts Mumbai Indians, Yorkshire under tremendous pressure in CLT2012

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 19, 2012: Rain played spoilsport for the second evening on the trot at the Champions League Twenty20 2012 on Thursday.

Due to inclement weather, an important Group B match between Mumbai Indians and Yorkshire was abandoned and both teams secured two important points from it.

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale won the toss and asked Mumbai Indians to bat first.

Mumbai Indians lost Sachin Tendulkar (7 from 10 – 1 four) early in the innings but West Indian hard-hitting batsman Dwayne Smith (37 from 26 – 4 sixes) put on exhibition his ferocious lofty hits and together with Rohit Sharma (25 from 23 – 1 four, 1 six) added 36 runs for the second wicket.

However just when Mumbai Indians looked settled to score a big total they lost Dwayen Smith and Rohit Sharma in the space of three overs to put themselves under pressure.

Dinesh Karthik (12 from 8 – 2 fours) and Ambati Rayudu (15 from 10 – 2 fours) also failed to deliver goods and it looked all but over for the Mumbai Indians before skipper Harbhajan Singh and another West Indian basher Kieron Pollard (37 not out from 20 – 3 fours, 2 sixes) used the long handle to a great effect to score some quick runs.

However, the innings was stopped after 17.5 overs by heavy rain when the Mumbai Indians had scored 156 for six and were looking all set to score in excess of 180 runs.

Yorkshire bowling was pretty average and other than Sam Patterson (3-0-12-0) all the other bowlers were mustered by West Indian duo in the Mumbai Indians. Adil Rashid gave 42 runs for his two wickets while Azeem Rafiq also captured two wickets for 36 runs from his four overs.

After getting two points from this game, the Mumbai Indians now are third in the table with two points as a better net-run-rate keep them a place in front of the Yorkshire. Chennai Super Kings are yet to win a game and are languishing at the last place in Group B.

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Sydney Sixers complete hat-trick of victories in CLT20

By Sheriff Michaels

Sydney Sixers into Semi-Finals of Champions League Twenty20 2012

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 19, 2012: Big Bash League’s Sydney Sixers recorded their third successive victory in the Champions League Twenty20 2012 on Thursday to book them a place in semi-finals of the competition.

The Sydney Sixers defeated South Africa’s Highveld Lions by five wickets at Newlands in Cape Town which means they have won three of their four matches. After defeating Chennai Super Kings, Yorkshire, and Highveld Lions, the Sydney Sixers have left their only game against Mumbai Indians who are on the brink of elimination following a series of dismal performances.

Batting first, Highveld Lions could manage 137 for nine from their 20 overs and Sydney Sixers achieved the target from 19 overs for the loss of five wickets.

Sydney Sixers captain Brad Haddin won the toss and decided to bowl first keeping in mind Highveld Lions’ liking to chase down scores and his decision proved quite right by his bowlers.

Australia’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc was the star of the show for the Sydney Sixers as he bagged three wickets for 19 runs from his four overs but Josh Hazlewood did the early damage as he finished with two for 18 from his four.

Gulam Bodi (61 from 44 – 4 fours, 3 sixes) once again clubbed bowlers on the favored leg-side consistently but he lacked support from the other end as skipper Alviro Petersen (5 from 6), Quanton de Kock (4 from 14), Niel McKenzie (17 from 16 – 2 fours), and Zander de Bruyn (4 from 10) all failed to impose themselves at the crease.

A late cameo by Jean Symes (23 from 16 – 3 fours, 1 six) and Chris Morris (14 not out from 9 – 2 fours) helped the Highveld Lions to a fighting total of 137 for nine.

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who was playing his last match in the Champions League Twenty20 2012, once again delivered with the ball and bat as he not only took two wickets for 25 runs but also made quick-fired 47 runs from mere 38 deliveries hitting four boundaries and three sixes.

Sydney Sixers openers Michael Lumb (22 from 22- 4 fours) and Shane Watson (47 from 38 – 4 fours, 3 sixes) gave their side a useful start by scoring 60 runs for the opening partnership from 8.3 overs before left-arm off-spinner Aaron Phangiso came on his own.

Aaron Phangiso first got rid of Michael Lumb and then removed Dominic Thornley on a first-ball-duck. Soon he captured the prized scalp of Shane Watson and brought his side back into the contention.

However, Sydney Sixers skipper Brad Haddin (32 from 21 – 1 four, 3 sixes) and Steven Smith (25 not out from 25 – 2 fours) made sure that the good work of openers doesn’t get wasted and despite of losing another couple of wickets towards the end of the innings they managed to achieve the target from final delivery of the 19^th over.

Dirk Nannes bowled beautifully for a spell of one for 16 from four overs while Aaron Phangiso was the pick of the bowlers for the Highveld Lions as he captured three wickets for 14 runs from his four overs. Rest of the bowlers were pretty ordinary with Pakistani left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir (4-0-29-0) once again failed to impress while Jean Symes was belted hard by the Sydney batsmen as he leaked 36 runs from three overs. Chris Morris also proved an expensive option as he gave away 35 runs from his three overs.

Mitchell Starc was declared Man of the Match for yet another staggering spell of fast bowling and he told the presentation party, “Playing a lot and working on a few little things, ball is coming out of the hand nicely. Like bowling at the death! Wickets in Colombo [during the ICC World Twenty20] were nice for the quicks early on. Good to bowl here with the pace and bounce. All of us [Sixers fast bowlers] are good mates."

Sydney Sixers skipper Brad Haddin said, "We didn’t start well with the ball, we fought back well, happy with the total we got to chase. We have got good cover for Watson, wish him well for the Test series. Yes, we are thinking about the semi-finals now."

Highveld Lions captain Alviro Petersen stated, "Just a couple of bad overs with bat and ball. T20 cricket is all about that. Phangiso is an underrated bowler, he has done well for us in the past couple of years."

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Kolkata Knight Riders crash out of CLT20

By Sheriff Michaels

Kingsmead Wash-Out knocks Kolkata Knight Riders out of CLT20

DURBAN, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 17, 2012: The Indian Premier League Champions Kolkata Knight Riders became first team to get eliminated from the Champions League Twenty20 2012 on Wednesday when inclement weather made play impossible at Kingsmead in Durban.

The match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Perth Scorchers was washed out only after 14 overs in the first innings where the Big Bash League’s side had scored 91 for two.

Former South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs (Duck) failed for the second straight time to impressive anyone but Shaun Marsh (38 from 40 – 3 fours, 1 six) and Simon Katich (43 not out from 32 – 4 fours) held the innings together.

The duo added 70 runs for the second wicket before Jacques Kallis bowled a superb Yorker to get rid of Shaun Marsh who was replaced by his younger brother Mitchell Marsh (5 not out from 10).

When the match was called off due to rain, the Perth Scorchers had scored 91 for two from 14 overs.

The Kolkata Knight Riders, who have already lost their first two matches, had to win this match and as the match is washed out they are now out of the competition. The IPL6 champions managed to score only one point from three games.

The Indian Premier League champions will played their penultimate game in the CLT2012 against Group A toppers Nashua Titans at Newlands in Cape Town on October 21, 2012.

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CLT20: Nashua Titans halt Auckland Aces triumphant run

By Sheriff Michaels

Nashua Titans top Group A with two wins from as many matches

DURBAN, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 18, 2012: The South African Nashua Titans put brakes on an impressive winning run of Auckland Aces in the Champions League Twenty20 2012 on Wednesday when they outplayed them by 59 runs at Kingsmead in Durban.

With this victory, the Nashua Titans gave their Semi-Finals qualification chances a world of good as they now have won both of their matches and possess a healthy net-run-rate in the Group A.

After put into bat, the Nashua Titans made impressive 172 for four from their 20 overs before their bowlers never allowed the Auckland Aces to dictate terms and restricted them to a total of 113 all out from 18.1 overs.

This was the first defeat for the Auckland Aces in the tournament after they won their initial three matches which helped them qualifying into the main round of the Champions League Twenty2012.

Gareth Hopkins, skipper of Auckland Aces, won the toss and took no time in asking the local side to bat first backing his batsmen to chase down anything on offer.

Henry Davids (36 from 23 – 5 fours, 1 six) and Jacques Rudolph (63 from 56 – 7 fours) opened the batting for the Nashua Titans and provided a solid start scoring 74 runs from 8.2 overs before Azhar Mahmood got rid of Davids.

Skipper Martin van Jaarsveld (13 from 14) joined Rudolph and added another 26 runs for the second wicket before Kyle Mills removed him.

It all looked good for the Auckland Aces till the 18^th over when Michael Bates sent back Rudolph but Farhaan Behardien (48 not out from 23 – 1 four, 3 sixes) used the long handle with some effect in the final two overs as the Titans scored 39 runs from the final 15 deliveries despite of Roelof van der Merwe (5 from 4) going back in the hut without doing much damage.

Veteran New Zealand bowler Kyle Mills proved an expensive option for the Auckland Aces as he was belted for 42 runs from his four overs for a wicket. Michael Bates bowled three overs for 21 runs besides taking a wicket while Azhar Mahmood also bowled well for figures of one for 32 from four overs. Another former Kiwi all-rounder Andre Adams went for 35 from his four overs while Ronnie Hira gave away 28 runs from his four.

Chasing 173 runs for victory was never an easy target for the Auckland Aces, especially against the Twenty20 specialist bowlers of Nashua Titans and soon the Kiwi side was in quagmire of problems with their explosive opening batsmen Lou Vincent (6 from 6 – 1 six) and Martin Guptill (3 from 8) going back in the pavilion.

Auckland’s ace in previous matches Pakistani star all-rounder Azhar Mahmood (7 from 9) also failed to deliver the goods as the side looked struggling at three down for 37 from 5.1 overs.

It all came on the young shoulders of Anaru Kitchen (23 from 12 – 3 fours, 1 six) and Colin de Grandhomme (14 from 11 – 1 four, 1 six) but their lack of experience came in the way of success as Kitchen lost his cool and patience and tried to slog everything and was held in the deep by Farhaan Behardien off Links.

Once the top five batsmen were gone, the chase was officially off for the Auckland Aces as Colin Munro (4 from 5), skipper Gareth Hopkins (8 from 12 – 1 four), Ronnie Hira (Duck), and Kyle Mills (1 from 3) all looked sheer failure against a quality bowling attack of Nashua Titans.

Andre Adams (30 from 17 – 2 fours, 2 sixes) came up with a flurry of boundaries towards the end of the innings in a bid to give some respect to his side in a losing cause and help them reduce the deficit in net-run-rate but when he was bowled by the Titans’ Twenty20 specialist bowler Alfonso Thomas, it was all over for the Auckland Aces.

In the end, Auckland Aces were bowled out for 113 runs with 11 balls to spare, thus falling 59 runs short of the target.

Ethy Mbhalati and Alfonso Thomas were clinical with the ball for the Nashua Titans as they recorded figures of 4-1-26-3 and 3.1-0-18-3, respectively.

Cornelius de Villiers also bowled well for figures of one for 24 from his three overs while Eden Links and Roelof van der Merwe also were impressive with the ball with returns of 4-0-25-1 and 4-0-18-1, respectively.

Farhaan Behardien was declared Man of the Match for his super heroics with the bat in dying stages of the innings of Nashua Titans who are comfortably placed on top of the Group A with eight points from two matches. Auckland Aces have four points from two matches.

Farhaan Behardien told the presentation party, "I bided by time, and it was only during the last two overs that I capitalized”.

Nashua Titans skipper Martin van Jaarsveld said, "Asked the bowlers to hit the deck really hard, when they do that, it is easy to captain. Behardien is a great finisher. He's done that for us all summer."

Auckland Aces captain Gareth Hopkins said, "The batting let us down. We were happy to restrict them to 170. We have to move on quickly from this."

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CLT20: Highveld Lions push Chennai Super Kings on the brink

By Sheriff Michaels

Highveld Lions defeated two IPL sides: Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (TheSportsNEXT) October 16, 2012: Highveld Lions won their second straight match at the Champions League Twenty20 2012 at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday, this time beating Chennai Super Kings by six wickets.

The match took several twists right throughout where Chennai Super Kings looked struggling to score 130 runs at one stage but ending up with a total of 159 runs and then restricted Highveld Lions to 33 runs after eight overs but they eventually managed to keep up with the asking run-rate over 10 runs an over to clinch an unbelievable victory.

Highveld Lions skipper Alvio Petersen won the toss and showed no hesitation in sending Chennai Super Kings into bat as he was well aware of their batting strength and abilities of his strong middle order batsmen.

Chennai Super Kings had six batsmen scoring above 20 runs but none of them went on to play that big innings as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34 from 26 – 2 fours, 2 sixes) was the only man to score in the 30s.

Faf du Plessis (25 from 20 – 2 fours, 1 six) and Murali Vijay (22 from 26 – 2 fours, 1 six) opened the batting for the Chennai Super Kings and the duo took the total to 44 when Morris got rid of du Plessis on fourth delivery of the sixth over.

Suresh Raina (20 from 16 – 2 fours, 1 six) was promoted up the order at number three position and he along with Vijay took the score to 69 before losing his wicket on final delivery of the 10^th over.

Chennai Super Kings needed to win this match and had to score in excess of 160 runs to make it difficult for the Highveld Lions and at halfway stage of their innings they were looking like scoring somewhere around 130-140 runs.

However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a smart move by promoting himself up at number four position and it gave him enough time to get his eyes in and he got his feet to move perfectly well in the dying stages of the match where Ravindra Jadeja (21 from 16 = 2 fours, 1 six) and Subramaniam Badrinath (27 from 14 – 2 sixes) played handy knocks to clinch 89 runs from the final 10 overs.

In the end, Chennai Super Kings scored fighting total of 158 for six wickets from their 20 overs. It was a total where one could expect Chennai bowlers to restrict any opposition with some surprise package spinners in the attack.

Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir once again proved an expensive option as he leaked 36 runs from his four overs for a wicket. Australian left-arm pacer Dirk Nannes proved even costlier as late hitting by Subramaniam Badrinath spoiled his figures as the left-armer gave away 46 runs from his four overs for a wicket.

On the other hand, Chris Morris and Aaron Phangiso proved effective with the ball for the local side as they allowed only 41 runs from their eight overs taking three wickets. Morris took 1/24 while Phangiso registered figures of 2/17.

Chasing a massive target required someone to play an anchoring role and a lot was expected from Highveld Lions’ skipper Alviro Petersen but Australian left-arm fast bowler Doug Bollinger removed him for a Golden Duck.

However, Gulam Bodi (64 from 46 – 5 fours, 4 sixes) put his head down as hero of their previous match the young Quinton de Kock (5 from 8 – 1 four) was undone by Bollinger, thus leaving Highveld Lions struggling at two down for only eight runs on the board.

Gulam Bodi found it tough to get going under lights but never lost his cool and he waited for the ball to lose its sheen and swing and a No Ball right towards the end of the PowerPlay proved the turning point in changing complexion of his game.

Once he hit that six, he never turned back and started smashing all the Chennai Super Kings bowlers with authority in company of an experienced Niel McKenzie (32 from 34 – 4 fours) as the duo added 93 crucial runs for the third wicket from 64 balls to scroll their way back into contention.

Highveld Lions still needed 58 runs from 39 balls when Albie Morkel got rid of threatening Gulam Bodi and soon Ravinchandran Ashwin took the prized scalp of Niel Mckenzie leaving the local side in a spot of bother at four down for 115 runs from 16.2 overs.

Two young batsmen Jean Symes and Chris Morris were at the crease now but victory was still 44 runs away and they had only 22 balls to do the job.

Jean Symes (39 not out from 23 – 5 fours) took the role of hitting it consistently across the boundary while Chris Morris (12 not out from 7 – 1 six) also gave him a great helping hand as the pair achieved the winning run with three balls to spare.

The victory on one side has propelled the Highveld Lions close to Semi-Finals qualification while on the other it pushed Chennai Super Kings on brink of elimination as it was their second straight defeat in the competition.

Doug Bollinger, who is the most-capped player in CLT20, was impressive with the new ball as he finished with two for 18 from his four overs. His fellow Australian right-arm pacer Ben Hilfenhaus also bowled a miser spell of none for 24 from four overs. However, South African all-rounder Albie Morkel and India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin proved a little too expensive for the Chennai Super Kings as they reported figures of 3.3-0-35-1 and 4-0-42-1, respectively.

Left-arm off-spinner Aaron Phangiso was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant spell of off-spin bowling against a batting line-up which is renowned for tackling spinners better than anyone else.

Aaron Phangiso told the presentation party, "It was a nice wicket to bowl on, one of those days where the ball came nicely out of the hand. It is one of those wickets, it was a bit slow, you got to slow up your pace."

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, "We got off to a very good start, we lost too many wickets in the middle, so we were not able to slog the way we could have, but we still got the score we wanted. I think 160 was a good score. The timing of the no-balls was crucial. Small things matter. All of a sudden the momentum shifted, they were able to score a lot more freely. The quicks were bowling well [so gave them three overs each at the start]."

Highveld Lions captain Alviro Petersen stated, "Halfway through the game I thought we gave 15 runs too many. The batsmen stayed calm. Bodi played exceptionally well with McKenzie and the two young men finished it for us. It was a case of getting to the last three overs. Guys at the end showed some mettle and steel. Generally 10-15 overs is a sort of dead period, you tend to knock it around, but Gulam never allowed the rate to go beyond 10-11 runs an over."

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