SA sent packing at T20 Champions League

Friday, 7 October 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

It’s being called the best Twenty20 game ever played but that’s scant consolation to South Australia following their heartbreaking exit from the Champions League.

The Redbacks posted a massive total of 2-214 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, only to lose by two wickets to a last-ball six.

Bangalore’s No.8 batsman Arun Karthik slogged a Daniel Christian delivery over the legside boundary to settle a classic contest and set up a semi-final against NSW on Saturday morning (AEDT) at the same venue in Bangalore.

CB batsman Virat Kholi (R) congratulates his partnering batsman Tilakaratne Dilshan after the later scored 50 runs during the Champions League

A win would have sealed a semi-final spot for SA, but instead they finished bottom of their five-team group.

In a poll on the tournament website, 88 per cent of respondents regarded it as the best T20 match they had ever seen.

Daniel Harris (108 not out off 61 balls), Callum Ferguson (70 off 43) and Daniel Christian (27 not out off 9) headlined a spectacular SA batting barrage that culminated in an 86-run onslaught in the last five overs.

Harris blasted 17 fours and two sixes and smashed an incredible 12 boundaries in his first half-century.

The big-hitting opening duo of Tillakaratne Dilshan (74 off 47) and Chris Gayle (26 off 15) commenced the daunting chase with a stand of 65 off 6.1 overs.

Virat Kohli (70 off 36) smashed six sixes and four fours in a spectacular display of powerful strokeplay, adding 100 with Dilshan in just under nine overs.

The Challengers looked in control at 1-165 in the 15th over, but lost 7-37.

Speedster Shaun Tait, who had been omitted from the SA team for their previous two games, was back to his scintillating best.

He struck five times in 12 balls, including three times in his last over, to record his best ever T20 figures of 5-32.

Bangalore required 14 off the last over and successfully completed the highest run chase in the tournament’s history.

“We were very confident going out there to defend that, obviously that hasn’t happened, we’re extremely disappointed,” Ferguson said.

“Shaun Tait did a fantastic job to get us back in the game, but in the end we didn’t get the win on the board and we’re heading home.”

Ferguson captained the Redbacks for most of the Bangalore innings after regular skipper Michael Klinger was injured in a collision with team-mate Tom Cooper in taking the catch that dismissed Gayle.

“We’re hoping it’s just a bad cork, the knee looked like it went into his thigh,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson felt the Redbacks would still take a lot out of the tournament despite not emulating their 2010 semi-final performance.

“You can’t get this type of experience on the domestic front all that often, so for our young players to come over and get this experience and this exposure to such a high level of cricket like a game tonight will be invaluable to their careers, no doubt,” Ferguson said.