Sydney Sixers produced an all-round clinical display to clinch the Champions League Twenty20 title with a dominating 10-wicket victory over Highveld Lions in a lop-sided summit clash.
The Sixers first rode on a brilliant bowling display by spinner Nathan
McCullum (3/24) and pacer Josh Hazlewood (3/22) to dismiss Highveld
Lions for a modest 121 in their stipulated 20 overs after winning the
toss and electing to field.
The Australian side then returned to overhaul the target with 7.3 overs to spare, thanks to some powerful hitting by opener Michael Lumb and Brad Haddin, who notched up an unbeaten 124 run partnership.
Chasing 122 to win, Lumb annihilated the Lions with eight fours and
five sixes in his 42-ball 82-run unbeaten innings, while his opening
partner Haddin blasted four boundaries and a six in his 33-ball
unfinished 38 here.
The opening duo were in marauding
form as they toyed with the Lions bowlers, taking them to the cleaners
every now and then. They were particularly harsh on Chris Morris and Aaron Phangiso as the bowlers bleded 54 in four over combined.
Lumb finally finished off the chase in style when he blasted Pretorius
for a six over deep wicket in the first ball, pulled the next over fine
leg and then sent the third delivery across the boundary line as well to
trigger celebration for the Sixers.
Earlier, McCullum
and Hazlewood claimed three wickets each to help Sydney Sixers dismiss
Highveld Lions for a modest 121 in the finals.
Sydney
Sixers broke the back bone of the Lions as they reduced them to 9-4 in
just 3.3 overs after winning the toss and electing to field.
Jean Symes
top-scored with a 46-ball 51 to help Lions put up a total or else
things could have been more embarrasing for the home team at the New
Wanderers Stadiums here.
Symes added 23 runs with
Sohail Tanvir for the fifth wicket to start the recovery but the
Pakistani player lost his wicket in the seventh over as the Lions lost
half their side with just 32 on board.
Symes then forged a 41-run partnership with Thami Tsolekile
for the sixth wicket and another 38 with Dwaine Pretorius for the
seventh wicket to help Lions cross the 100-mark. Symes had eight fours
in his 46-ball innings.
For Sydney Sixers, Steve O'Keefe and Mitchell Starc were the other wicket takers with one wicket each here.
Put into bat, opener Gulam Bodi started
off with a six of McCullum but he was send packing in the next delivery
by the spinner to deal the first blow in the opening over.
First down Quinton de Kock
was then sent back to the pavilions by pacer Hazlewood, courtesy a
stunning catch by O'Keefe. Three balls later, Hazlewood reduced Lions to
8-3 after picking new man McKenzie in the last ball of the over.
Stranded all this while, Petersen was the next to go when he outside
edged a O'Keefe delivery to Neil McCullum at the first slip.
Symes then tried to resurrect the innings with a couple of boundaries
in the fifth over of Starc, while Tanvir also clipped one over
square-leg. However, his stay didn't last long as the Pakistani player
was trapped in front of wicket by McCullum.
Undeterred, Symes continued his job and picked up successive fours in
the 10th over off Pat Cummins. New man Tsolekile also got into the act
and blasted a couple of sixes to ease the pressure.
But McCullum broke the partnership dismissing Tsolekile when he had him caught at short midwicket.
Symes and Pretorius then joined hands and tried to accelerate. Symes
picked up a couple of fours off Cummins, while Pretorius clobbered
Hazlewood and Starc for a couple of sixes, before becoming a victim of
Starc. (PTI)
Brief Scores: HIghveld Lions 121 all-out in 20 overs (Jean Symes 51, Dwaine Pretorius 21; Josh Hazlewood 3 for 22, Nathan McCullum 3 for 24) lost to Sydney Sixers 124 for no loss in 12.3 overs (Michael Lumb 82*, Brad Haddin 37*) by 10 wickets.
Man of the Match: Michael Lumb
Golden Bat (for highest run-scorer in CLT20 2012): Michael Lumb
Golden Wicket (for highest wicket-taker in CLT20 2012): Mitchell Starc
Man of the Series: Mitchell Starc
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