Udana picks up wade

Wayamba were gunned down for a dismal score of 106 inside 20 overs by a high-quality seam bowling effort backed by some scintillating fielding by upbeat Victoria Busrangers side.

Only Mahela Jayawardene (51 0ff 40 balls) and skipper Jehan Mubarak (44 off 30 balls) provided some resistance in the top order as other batsmen collapsed like pack of cards.

hings looked all right for Waymba when Mahela and Mubarak were going fine, but once Mubarak fell things unravelled quite quickly for them. Siddle took 4 wickets and the tail capitulated in no time.

Earlier winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Wayamba lost opener Jeevantha Kulatunga in the very first ball off the second over. He was clean bowled by pacer James Pattinson for 0.

Soon Mahela Udawatte followed him to pavillion with some brilliant fielding by Clint McKay who hit the stumps directly from the mid off region.

Then Jehan Mubarak and Mahela Jayawardene provided some stability to the team but once Mubarak departed, Bushrangers' bowlers made little work of Wayamba middle order and tail. Five players for Wayamba did not trouble the score.

For Bushrangers, Peter Siddle was the pick of the bowlers with 4/29. James Pattinson and Andrew McDonald took two scalps each.

Chennai Super Kings Vs Victoria Bushrangers

Chennai Super Kings - 162/6 (20 overs)
Murali Vijay - 73

M.Hussey - 25

Dhoni - 22


Victoria Bushrangers - 162 (all out) (20 overs)
David Hussy - 51
Finch - 41


Match Tied


Super Over 
Victoria - 23
Chennai - 13


Victoria Bushrangers won by 10 runs in the Super Overs.

Finch goes ballistic to see victoria home

Centurion: Aaron Finch hit an unbeaten 93 as the Victoria Bushrangers gained their first Champions League Twenty20 win, beating the Central Stags by seven wickets on Wednesday.

Finch held his nerve in a tense finish, hitting Doug Bracewell for six off the fourth ball of the final over, after the Australian side found themselves needing 48 off the last four overs.

Finch found a solid partner in Andrew McDonald, who hit 18 not out in an unbeaten stand of 66.

"We nearly left it a bit too late, but we got over the line," said Finch, who made his runs off 60 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

Stags captain Jamie How earlier hit an unbeaten 77 off 55 balls as the New Zealand team reached 165 for five in their 20 overs.

The Stags made a poor start, with Victoria fast bowler Peter Siddle taking two wickets in the first over.

At the halfway stage they had laboured to 48 for three.

But the tournament pattern of teams struggling against the new ball and then scoring freely later in the innings continued.

How and George Worker (29) put on 53 in 48 balls for the fourth wicket before Brendon Diaminti helped How add 66 off 29 balls for the fifth wicket, which included 28 runs off the18th over, bowled by John Hastings.

Finch played a fine innings but made a lucky start. He was caught off a no-ball bowled by Bracewell before he had scored and was dropped on 43 when he hit a hard return chance to left-arm slow bowler Worker. It was one of three catches put down by the Stags.

How said his side's fielding was a disappointment.

"We had a few dropped catches and a few misfields and you can't afford to do that against a quality side like Victoria," he explained.

Finch helps Victoria Clinch first win

Centurion: Aaron Finch carried his bat through the innings for Victoria and played the knock of the tournament, hitting an unbeaten 93 off 60 balls to chase down a target of 165 runs posted by Central Stags at the SuperSport Park on Wednesday. His knock was punctuated by 11 fours and 3 sixes and brought about Victoria's much-needed first win in the Champions League.

Aiming to turn the tables, the teams suffered illness worries ahead of the game. The big blow for Victoria came in way of Brad Hodge being unavailable. On the other hand, Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan woke up sick for the Stags.A win for either team could prolong their stay in the tournament, making this match important for both of them. The toss went Bushrangers' way who chose to bat first.

After being asked to bowl, Peter Siddle struck twice in the first over for his team, taking out Peter Ingram (0) and Timothy Weston (2), which left the Kiwi team with a recovery job early in the match.

The experienced duo of Adam Sinclair and Jamie How tried to prevent any further casualties but could do it for only 27 more runs. A slash off Sinclair (14), while facing John Hastings, brought out a dive by wicketkeeper Mathew Wade who pouched it nicely, leaving the Stags reeling at 30/3.

Sinclair's dismissal followed the recovery phase Stags were hoping for, with George worker providing the missing thrust in the Stags. In fact, Workers' intent rubbed off to skipper How whose unconvincing knock started showing signs of coming back on track.

The partnership swelled up to 53 but unfortunately that's where it ended for the Stags with Worker (29 off 25) being snapped up by the spinner Bryce McGain.

But what transpired after that was close to a nightmare for the Victorian team. Skipper Jamie How - getting no support from the other hand - took matters in his hand and launched a counter-attack that saw him amass 77 runs in 55 balls, studded with 10 fours and 3 sixes.

The 18th over hurt the Victoria team the most where Stags notched up a boggling 28 runs. The momentum provided by How finally saw his team reach a competitive 165 runs in their allotted 20 overs.

For Victoria, Peter Siddle was the most successful bowler with two wickets, while Clint McKay, John Hastings and Bryce McGain took a wicket apiece.

The Bushrangers' openers looked methodical in their chase and notched up a partnership of 40 runs, when, in the fifth over, Rob Quiney (15) was dismissed by Seth Rance that was soon followed by the suicidal run-out of Mathew Wade (9), reducing the Australian team to 49/2.

That left Skipper David Hussey do a Jamie How and take the team out of troubled waters. Aaron Finch, on the other end, looked pretty comfortable during his stay and was scoring better than a-run-a-ball. He soon registered his half century that firmly put Victoria in charge of the chase.

Fifty partnership came after Finch's half century but it was soon followed by the breakthrough Stags were after. A kicked-up delivery took the edge of Hussey's bat for a simple catch for wicketkeeper Timothy Weston, bringing the match back in balance.

It was now up to all-rounder Andrew McDonald to give Finch the support he needed to take Victoria home. But How's bowlers didn't support him and gifted a few easy runs away by way of bowling full-tosses.

With 25 needed of 12 balls, it could still have gone either way. But wickets in hands and Finch determined to finish it himself, there was not much Stags could have done. He hit the first ball of 19th over for a six, making his intentions pretty clear. Thirteen runs came off the penultimate over and the Aussie team needed almost a similar over to end up victorious.

A four off the first ball edged Bushrangers closer. The man of the moment - Aaron Finch - stamped his authority on the match by hitting a six over long-on to finish it off and bring about leaps and hugs in the dug-out.

Victoria lost their first game to Warriors by 28 runs while the Stags were outdone by Chennai in a one-sided game that they lost by 57 runs.

Bushrangers look to hunt the Stags

Centurion: After a 28-run loss in the opener that is sure to have dented Victoria Bushrangers' pride, the champion T20 side from Australia will be hungry for success when they take on trans-Tasman rivals Central Stags in their second game here at the Centurion on Wednesday.

The Bushrangers were left shell-shocked by South African club Warriors who played out of their skins to upset the Aussie team, who are a pedigreed T20 lot having won the KFC Big Bash on four out of the five occasions.

The Australian team, who were among the favourites in the first edition last year before they lost in the last four stage to eventual champions New South Wales Blues, need a win to keep their hopes alive in this tournament. Another loss on Wednesday means that they will need to win their remaining two games to make it to the last four stage.

On paper they are definitely stronger than the Stags, but they will be cautious knowing full well that overconfidence will do them more harm than good. The Stags too are coming off a crushing defeat at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings, who beat them by 57 runs on Sunday and face the ominous task of facing up to the Bushrangers' strong bowling attack.

At the top of the order, Peter Ingram, Jamie How and Mathew Sinclair will have to get the Stags off to a good start if they do not repeat of their collapse against Chennai where their individual scores put together read more like a telephone number.

On the other hand, the Bushrangers too will have to ensure that their batsmen keep their cool. Most of the top order batsmen managed to get starts in the last game, but fell just when it seemed that a partnership was being strung together.

A must-win game for both teams, the losing side can kiss their chances of a semi-final finish goodbye.