The Sydney Sixers snatched a dramatic two-wicket victory over Titans on Saturday (AEDT) to set up a Champions League Twenty20 final against another South African side, Highveld Lions.
Titans made 5 for 163 at their Centurion home ground in Pretoria thanks to an unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership between middle-order David Wiese (61 not out) and opener Henry Davids (59 not out).
Sixers reached 8 for 164 in reply with the winning run coming off the last ball and they face Lions at the Wanderers on Monday (AEDT) to see who succeeds Mumbai Indians as winners of the annual competition.
While Sixers kept in touch with the required run rate, they started to lose wickets with worrying frequency and needed 19 off the last two overs with three wickets standing.
Sydney had a lucky escape off the final ball of the penultimate over as Farhaan Behardien spilled an attempt to catch Pat Cummins, who had skied a stroke intended to clear long-off.
The Australian outfit needed eight runs from the last over, but after a cheeky Ben Rohrer scoop earned two, he was out next ball, sending a mistimed shot straight to Roelef van der Merwe at mid-off.
Tight bowling by CJ de Villiers kept Titans in a match that grew more tense with every ball and it came down to the final delivery with the visitors needing a run to win.
And that is what the Sixers got as they scrambled a bye in a match that atoned for a far less dramatic first semi-final on Friday when the Lions defeated the Delhi Daredevils by 22 runs at Kingsmead in Durban.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, australia, south-africa First posted October 27, 2012 09:01:46
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