South Africa’s Warriors set up a rematch with Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League Twenty20 final after a 30-run win over South Australia Redbacks at SuperSport Park on Saturday.
The home favorite posted 175-6 batting first in the last-four matchup, and restricted the previously unbeaten Redbacks to 145-7.
Warriors captain Davy Jacobs hit 61 from 41 balls and Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Johan Botha took two wickets each as the Warriors progressed to the tournament decider against IPL champion Chennai in Johannesburg yesterday.
Chennai handed the Warriors their only defeat of the competition in the final round of group games last week.
“We got off to a good start with the bat,” Jacobs said. “We knew anything over 160 would be tough to chase. All the bowlers came on well ... Botha, Theron, and now we’re looking forward to tomorrow. Well done to the Redbacks. They did well to win four in the group, but someone had to go through. Unfortunate for them.”
Callum Ferguson produced a game-best 71 from 49 for South Australia, but it wasn’t enough as the Redbacks’ winning streak came to an end in the knockout stage.
Earlier, Nicky Boje and Justin Kreusch plundered 23 crucial runs for Warriors off their final over to take them to a winning total.
Boje hit two sixes and a four and Kreusch blasted a six off the last ball of the innings.
South Australia captain Michael Klinger said that 175 on “that wicket was 20 too many.”
“That’s how it is. We had a great tournament, but didn’t bring our A game today,” he said.
South Australia’s victory target of 176 was exactly the same total Bangalore needed in their loss to Chennai in the first semifinal in Durban on Friday.
Jacobs led from the front with 10 fours and a six after the Warriors chose to bat first in Centurion, near Pretoria. He combined with Colin Ingram for a 104-run partnership for the second wicket.
Daniel Harris then launched a South Australia fightback with 3-18 and Shaun Tait took 2-38, but Boje’s and Kreusch’s late charge gave the Warriors the edge.
Tsotsobe removed both South Australia openers, Daniel Harris and Klinger, for an ideal start for the Port Elizabeth-based team, which was playing its first game of the tournament away from its St George’s Park home ground, but still had strong support from the local fans.
Ferguson mounted a strong counterattack by crashing 10 boundaries in his 71.
However, he fell lbw to South Africa T20 captain Johan Botha off the last ball of the 18th over and South Australia finished well short of the 42 runs it required off the final two overs.
Rusty Theron bowled Christian off the last ball of the match.
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