South Australia storm into final by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Scorecard:	South Australia v Tasmania
Player:	Naved-ul-Hasan, SW Tait
Event:	KFC Twenty20 Big Bash 2009/10

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DateLine: 12th January 2010

 

South Australia qualified for the KFC Big Bash final and also for the next edition of the Champions League when they defeated a lack-lustre Tasmanian Tigers by 23 runs. Not even a stunning hat-trick by Naved ul Rana was able to stop the Redbacks as the hosts rose to the occasion admirably.

 

Electing to bat first Manou (33, 16 balls, 3x4, 1x6) and Harris (16, 16 balls, 1x4) got their team off to a flier as the duo flayed the Tasmanian bowling to all parts of the ground before an inspired fielding from Bailey put an end to the fiery stand. It was then the flow of the game changed completely.

 

Though the Redbacks were in cruise mode regular wickets hampered their progress. Cosgrove (25, 29 balls, 1x6) and Pollard (27, 23 balls, 1x4, 1x6) stabilized the innings after a flurry of wickets and were looking dangerous before disaster struck.

 

The Redbacks were 127 for the loss of 4 wickets in the 17th over when Rana Naved engineered a dramatic collapse. He had the big-hitting Pollard caught and then trapped Cameron Borgas (0, 1 ball) plumb before the stumps. He then duly claimed his hat-trick when he flattened Dan Christian's off stump. Cosgrove was caught just short of his ground next ball before Cleary (2, 2 balls) and Tait (0, 4 balls) departed in the 18th to bring an abrupt end to the innings at 131.

 

If the Tasmanian Tigers had fancied their chances at the target they were in for a rude shock as a fiery opening spell from Tait dented their hopes. Tim Paine (0, 1 ball) and Dighton (0, 1 ball) departed in successive balls as another hat-trick loomed at the horizon. Bailey (16, 28 balls, 1x4) survived the hat-trick ball and he along with an explosive Lockyear (15, 11 balls, 3x4) counterattacked. Lockyear was dropped by Shahid Afridi but the error wasn't too costly for the home side as the batsman was out soon.

 

George Bailey and Travis Birt (22, 28 balls, 1x4) then added a steady 29 before the former clubbed one straight to the throat of Christian at deep mid-wicket.

 

South Australian bowlers then lived upto their nickname - the Redbacks - as they slowly spun the web around the Tigers' batsmen to haul the opponents slowly into their web and in the process suffocated them. As a result the run-rate ballooned up and the visitors cracked. Birt was bowled by O'Brien, Rana (9, 14 balls) was caught by Dan Harris in the outfield while Jason Krejza had his stumps rattled by Christian for just two.

 

Tasmania needed some big blows to stay in the contest and Brett Geeves (18, 14 balls, 2x6) obliged as he slammed a stunned Tait for back-to-back sixes. But it was too late as Redbacks claimed their fourth successive win to storm into the final.