A bloodied Brett Lee led the Sydney Sixers to a seven-run win over the Hobart Hurricanes setting up a meeting with the Perth Scorchers in Saturday's Big Bash League final.
Sporting a bleeding nose after a mid-pitch collision with Hurricanes batsman Phil Jaques, Lee and captain Steven Smith grabbed two wickets each as the Sixers defended what had appeared to be a below par 6 for 153.
The former Test spearhead finished with the impressive figures of 2 for 22 from his four overs after making the initial breakthrough to remove in-form opener Jonathan Wells for 11 and then hammering one of the final nails into the Hurricanes' campaign with the wicket of Jason Krejza.
Lee said he had been putting in extra net work in an attempt to be right for Australia's coming one-day matches after recovering from surgery to have his appendix removed in South Africa.
"That's the reason why I'm running around out here," he said.
"The big picture for me is get back and lead the one-day attack.
"Hopefully we'll get the call for that."
He said the Sixers were still to play their best cricket as they head to the WACA Ground.
"We've played well batting wise and then bowling wise but we haven't really put the two together," he said.
"Tonight was probably the best we've played collectively."
Smith finished with 2 from 22 from two overs, while old-stager Stuart MacGill got the vital wicket of BBL top-scorer Travis Birt for 11 to begin the home side's collapse.
Only Jaques offered any real resistance with 63 off 48 before Smith bowled him trying to reverse sweep to all but end the Hurricanes' fight.
Classy Sixers batsman Nic Maddinson top-scored for the visitors with 68 off 51 balls and eight fours as his side managed just two sixes for the innings.
The Hurricanes were in unfamiliar waters when they lost big guns Birt (11 off 15) and Owais Shah (0 off 3) within the space of one run to be teetering at 3 for 51.
Needing one of their lesser lights to step up, 'keeper Tom Triffitt looked likely in making 16 off 14 before he was caught superbly by a diving Stephen O'Keefe at 4 for 85.
Jaques brought up his 50 off 42 balls by pulling Stuart MacGill for four but when Matt Johnston went for just six the home side were staring down the barrel at 5 for 107.
Tail-ender Rana Naved smashed 30 off 14 to leave the Hurricanes needing 18 off the final over.
But tremendous tight bowling by Ian Moran saw the Sixers win a spot in the Twenty20 Champions League.
Hurricanes captain Xavier Doherty rated his side's BBL campaign as fair.
"Obviously you rate your success or failure on making the final or making the Champions League," he said.
"Unfortunately we didn't quite get there. We gave it a pretty good shake."
AAP
Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, australia, tas, hobart-7000, sydney-2000, nsw First posted January 22, 2012 22:39:22
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