South Australia’s dream of winning the lucrative Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament were dashed in South Africa on Saturday night, their unbeaten run ending with a 30-run loss to the Warriors at Centurion.
Chasing 6-175, SA slumped to 4-60 by the halfway stage against the South African side and finished at 7-145.
They never seriously threatened the target, despite a fifth-wicket stand of 74 in ten overs between Callum Ferguson (71 off 49 balls and Daniel Christian (19 off 23).
The Warriors advanced to Sunday’s final in Johannesburg (Monday morning AEST) where they will play India’s Chennai Super Kings, whose team includes Australians Mike Hussey and Doug Bollinger.
The Redbacks, who won all four of their group games, lost openers Daniel Harris 8 off 14 balls) and Michael Klinger (13 off 9) in the fourth over to Lonwabo Tsotsobe (2-16).
Graham Manou (8 off 13) and Cameron Borgas (10 off 7) also perished by the halfway point.
SA, who will return home with $US500,000 ($A527,000) prize money, produced their sloppiest bowling and fielding effort of the tournament, spilling three catches and missing a stumping.
The Redbacks seemed obsessed early on with bowling slower balls that were either too short or too full.
Warriors skipper and in-from opener Davy Jacobs (61 off 41)) and Colin Ingram (46 off 35) plundered numerous boundaries off the loose deliveries in a second-wicket partnership of 105 in just under 11 overs.
Medium pacer Daniel Harris (3-18) and spinners Aaron O’Brien (0-22) Cullum Bailey (1-28) dragged the run rate down after the Warriors belted 77 off the first ten overs.
On a pitch offering turn, the slower bowlers were far more economical than pacemen Shaun Tait (2-38) and Christian (0-45), who went for 23 off the final over.
SA made a perfect start, with speedster Tait having Ashwell Prince (0 off 1) caught at slip off a 151km/h thunderbolt, the second fastest delivery of the ten-team tournament.
AAP aw/gjw
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