26/10Result
2nd Semi-Final (D/N), Champions League Twenty20 at Centurion, Oct 26 2012
Sixers won by 2 wkts (0b rem)
Player of the Match
Steve O'Keefe
Steve O'KeefeSydney Sixers
26/10Result
2nd Semi-Final (D/N), Champions League Twenty20 at Centurion, Oct 26 2012
Sixers won by 2 wkts (0b rem)
Player of the Match
Steve O'Keefe
Steve O'KeefeSydney Sixers

END OF OVER:
20 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | SS: 164/8 | RR: 8.20

  • Pat Cummins14 (10b)
  • Mitchell Starc0 (1b)
  • Cornelius de Villiers3-0-31-1
  • Alfonso Thomas4-0-36-2

"How splintered would a south african cricket heart be? really." Andy Clarke, I am being told that the all-woman scoring crew at Supersport Park are in tears. That's how splintered, perhaps

That's all we have from the incredible semi-final tonight. It was a night when nerves and skill met to produce a match that kept twisting and turn, and if the final is something similar not many will complain. See you on the final night then. Cheers

Quotes from presentation
"Opening the batting was good fun," says MoM Steve O'Keefe. "Hadds 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." "We got our jail-free card," says Brad Haddin. "No matter what format you play, you have got to execute your skills. e 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."

"Really disappointed," says Martin van Jaarsveld. "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."

What a match then. It refused to go down a straight line. Drunk people stagger less. Spare a thought for David Wiese who brought Titans back in with the crazy hitting, which brought them 72 runs off the last four overs of the innings. And then Sixers chased as if they needed to win in 16 overs. And it kept coming off for a while. Before they could kill it off, though, they began to lose wickets. And in the final equation, how costly was that dropped catch off the last ball of the 19th over. Forget the wicket, it's the two extra runs. I wouldn't want to feel what Farhan Behardien is feeling right now. And how apt that it was Cummins's desperation that saw Sixers through. It was his ordinary - rare event -bowling that put Sixers in this trouble. It was his scrambling that pulled them out

19.6
1b
de Villiers to Cummins, 1 bye, Sixers have done in. Kuhn had a great chance, but he has missed it. De Villiers looks up at the sky in despair. Slower bouncer, Cummins is beaten, Kuhn collects it clean on the bounce, and has enough time to line up the stumps, but he misses them by a long way. Starc dives in, but that would have been to no avail had Kuhn hit them direct. And what of Cummins? He collides with de Villiers, and even when down on his knees, eh stumbles into the crease. What desperation from Cummins and Starc

Lot of thought being put in here. Kuhn wants to stand up to the stumps, CJD doesn't look happy with it. Van der Merwe and de Villiers having a chat. Kuhn has gone back now. Not a single body in the crowd

19.5
1lb
de Villiers to Starc, 1 leg bye, if Titans are to win this, they will have to do it through a Super Over. Short ball, into the body, hits his arm, and goes nowhere, but they sneak in the leg-bye. Scores are level

CJD is back up, and he has the new man on strike. Mitch Starc it is. Mid-off and mid-on both up

19.4
1lb
de Villiers to Cummins, 1 leg bye, de Villiers has hurt himself here. Cummins tries the big slog, the ball hits the pad but goes nowhere. They are stealing the leg-bye, de Villiers runs in, wants to kick the ball onto the stumps, but lands on the ball and has gone down

Three off three now

19.3
2
de Villiers to Cummins, 2 runs, low full toss, luckily for Titans he has hit this to deep midwicket. But that's not the half of this. Cummins wants a second from the moment he has touched the ball, and he goes for it. The throw is wide, Kuhn does well to collect it down the wicket with one glove off and then hits the stumps direct, but Cummins has made it by a frame
19.3
1w
de Villiers to Cummins, 1 wide, oh de Villiers. He has bowled a big wide outside off. Fine leg and square leg were in the ring. Did they have anything to do with this?

Right boys, you quicks, you conceded all those runs in the last few overs. Now go an get them. Cummins is on strike. He has broken South African hearts in a Test in Jo'burg once. Will he do the same here?

19.2
W
de Villiers to Rohrer, OUT, Cause an eruption is what it will do. Rohrer gets a length ball on off with mid-off up, and he sees the opportunity to close the game here. He is slightly early into the shot, and hits it straight to van der Merwe at mid-off who takes this lowish catch with fingers pointing up

BJ Rohrer c van der Merwe b de Villiers 21 (33m 24b 1x4 0x6) SR: 87.50

What will a wicket do to the crowd?

19.1
2
de Villiers to Rohrer, 2 runs, phew. what a shot to play at this time. Full, on off, he is all the way across, on a knee, and scoops it over the keeper's head. This is a mis-hit, but has enough behind it to clear the keeper

MVJ has taken off the man who can do no wrong. Wiesse has made way for CJ de Villiers. Seven to defend for him. Hushes silence in the crowd

END OF OVER:
19 | 11 Runs | SS: 156/7 (8 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 8.21, RRR: 8.00)

  • Pat Cummins12 (7b)
  • Ben Rohrer19 (22b)
  • Alfonso Thomas4-0-36-2
  • David Wiese2-0-11-0
18.6
2
Thomas to Cummins, 2 runs, Has Behardien dropped the Champions League?. This is not just the wicket, but two runs too, which leave Sixers needing just eight off the final over. Length ball, outside off, Cummins tries to send it over long-off, but miscues it high into the air. Behardien runs in, has enough time, but hasn't managed to get under it. Tries to catch it very low, but it spills through
18.5
0
Thomas to Cummins, no run, huge slower ball now, beats his slog from outside off

Demands Mahip: "Super Over ! Super Over ! Super Over !"

18.4
6
Thomas to Cummins, SIX, Cummins. What a time to arrive. Is he making up for his bowling effort? This match refuses to go down a straight line. Length ball, on leg, and he is down on a knee to hit this flat over long-on
18.3
2
Thomas to Cummins, 2 runs, yorker, on leg, dug out softly between long-on and deep midwicket, and they have enough time to come back for two

Third man in, and fine leg back. Deep midwicket is back

18.2
1
Thomas to Rohrer, 1 run, full, on off, he squeezes it behind square with the third man up, but he can't get it past Wiese at point. It's that man again
18.1
0
Thomas to Rohrer, no run, bouncer, down leg, Rohrer, who has backed away, ducks under it, and the umpires refuses to call it a wide because it has bounced over his body

Nineteen required off 12. Thomas to finish off. Wiese might just get the last over

Third man is up, fine leg back

END OF OVER:
18 | 9 Runs | SS: 145/7 (19 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 8.05, RRR: 9.50)

  • Ben Rohrer18 (20b)
  • Pat Cummins2 (3b)
  • David Wiese2-0-11-0
  • Alfonso Thomas3-0-25-2
17.6
1
Wiese to Rohrer, 1 run, swiped away into the leg side, keeps the strike
17.5
4
Wiese to Rohrer, FOUR, finally a mistake by Wiese. Length ball, middle and leg, regulation pace, and he has driven this wide of long-on
17.4
0
Wiese to Rohrer, no run, this man can do no wrong tonight. Slower off cutter, driven to his right, and Wiese dives to field it on the adjacent pitch
17.3
2
Wiese to Rohrer, 2 runs, length ball, wide, pushed to long-off, Cummins puts his wicket on the line as he comes back for the second. He puts in the dive, but a bad bounce on the throw means Wiese can't collect it
17.2
1
Wiese to Cummins, 1 run, low full toss, driven to long-on
17.1
1
Wiese to Rohrer, 1 run, slower ball, middle and leg, driven to long-on

Right, from here on, Titans scored 57 in their innings. Sixers need just 28. Piece of cake, I say. here is Wiese, the man responsible for a majority of those 57

END OF OVER:
17 | 4 Runs 1 Wkt | SS: 136/7 (28 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.00, RRR: 9.33)

  • Ben Rohrer10 (15b)
  • Pat Cummins1 (2b)
  • Alfonso Thomas3-0-25-2
  • Ethy Mbhalati4-0-34-1
16.6
1
Thomas to Rohrer, 1 run, nicely driven down the ground but Behardien puts in the big dive at mid-off to save three
16.5
1lb
Thomas to Cummins, 1 leg bye, slower ball again, Cummins tries a wild pull, and takes a leg-bye after being beaten

Third man up

16.4
1
Thomas to Rohrer, 1 run, dug in short, pulled away, doesn't get all of it, takes a single to deep midwicket
16.3
0
Thomas to Rohrer, no run, length ball, wide, driven nicely, but straight to short cover

Rohrer. Brought in especially for this match. Can he save Sixers this game?

16.2
1
Thomas to Cummins, 1 run, length ball, angling in, pushed wide of long-on

Pat Cummins. His last two overs went for 34. Now might be the time to repay

16.1
W
Thomas to McCullum, OUT, and Thomas has stuck with the first ball back. This is a slower grubber and McCullum is a sitting duck. A golden one at that. Doesn't pick the change of pace, but that's not even half the story. The ball hardly leaves the ground and hits his shin smack in front. Not much you can do with that

NL McCullum lbw b Thomas 0 (2m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Thomas comes back. The seasoned Twenty20 professional. He started Titans' comeback with Lumb's wicket. Nathan McCullum to face now: 32 required off 24 now

Match Coverage

All Match News

Sixers 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st54MJ LumbSNJ O'Keefe
2nd31SNJ O'KeefeNJ Maddinson
3rd7BJ HaddinNJ Maddinson
4th0SPD SmithNJ Maddinson
5th21MC HenriquesSPD Smith
6th19MC HenriquesBJ Rohrer
7th0NL McCullumBJ Rohrer
8th26BJ RohrerPJ Cummins
9th6MA StarcPJ Cummins

Champions League Twenty20

Group A
TeamMWLPTNRR
DC420121.44
TITNS42110-0.017
KKR41260.488
PS4126-0.474
AUCK4126-0.963
Group B
TeamMWLPTNRR
SS440161.656
LIONS431120.14
CSK4228-0.049
MI4032-0.471
YORKS4032-1.791
Qualifying Pool 1
TeamMWLPTNRR
AUCK22081.904
Sia2114-0.511
HANTS2020-1.331
Qualifying Pool 2
TeamMWLPTNRR
YORKS22080.507
UvNxt2012-0.244
T&T2012-0.777