Sun, 25 Sep 2011 - IP Warriors vs IP South Australia, Champions T20 League 2011, 4th Match-Bulletin

Smuts stars in thumping win

South African side Warriors continued to impress at the Champions League, notching up their second consecutive win by out-playing South Australia in a lop-sided affair. Warriors’ opener JJ Smuts blazed his way to a career best 88, hurtling his team to a big total of 171 which proved to be way beyond the means of Redbacks who could manage only 121, thereby losing by a massive margin of 50 runs.

JJ Smuts’ was well assisted by Mark Boucher and Colin Ingram who chipped in with breezy 30’s to power Warriors on a slow Uppal surface where as South Australian chase never got going as they lost wickets up front, though Skipper Klinger hit few blows but they did not have enough firepower to even threaten the target.

After electing to bat, Warriors lost Ashwell Prince early as a full in-swinging delivery from Shaun Tait sent the middle stump for a toss. However, the other opener, JJ Smuts was in no mood to let the South Australian bowlers dominate, he teed off by guiding a short ball over point, hit leggie Adil Rashid for a six and a four to get the innings going at a good rate.

Tait after the initial success bowled to Smuts’ strengths, the full deliveries were hit down the ground and the short ones pulled with lot of power, fifteen runs coming from the fourth over. Colin Ingram hit two meaty sweeps off Nathan Lyon to bring up the Warriors’ fifty inside five overs.

Seeing Warriors race off the blocks in which both pace and spin was punished alike, the Redbacks handed over the ball to Daniel Harris to try his slow medium pace. And, as has been the case so far in the tournament, the lack of pace did slow down the run scoring. If the first five overs yielded fifty runs, the next five yielded only 33.

Colin Ingram tried to up the ante once again but found the fielder at deep midwicket after scoring 30 0ff 24 balls, Harris rewarded for some tight bowling. That got veteran Mark Boucher to join Smuts in the middle, the two added 80 in little more than eight overs. Boucher was particularly severe on anything on the legs, hitting three boundaries and a six in his 34.

Meanwhile, Smuts after crossing his fifty muscled the ball, often by backing away from the stumps to make room and clobber it on to the off-side. However, his innings ended tamely as he tried to scoop Harris over fine-leg, instead the lack of pace meant the ball landed straight into the fielder’s lap. His 65-ball 88 was enough to have the scorecard read 171 for 5 at the half-time.

South Australia needed quick runs when the ball was hard and new but lost wickets as Lonwabo Tsotsobe got a wicket in the very first over. The left-armer made it two scalps in as many overs when Tom Cooper was late on a pull and the ball lobbed towards the advancing bowler. On the contrary, Callum Ferguson was early into a drive on a Rusty Theron slower one to give the cover fielder some catching practice.

At 35 for 3, the chase had nearly run out of steam, however, there was little bit of hope as Michael Klinger was still at the crease. He smashed a six but shortly afterwards was trapped in front by his counterpart to leave the chase in tatters. With run rate going northwards, the Redbacks needed someone to do a Lasith Malinga, but that did not happen and they were restricted to 121.

For the warriors, Tostosbe took two but the support bowlers stuck to disciplined line and length to squeeze the chase.