http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 Domestic: Steven O’Keefe powers New South Wales to victory
A stellar all-round performance from Steven O’Keefe earned http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-South-Wales-c823 a 17-run victory over Victoria in a closely contested Twenty20 Big Bash clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, putting a full stop to the Bushrangers’ hopes
of making it to the tournament’s final.
The NSW Blues- missing their senior guns duo to national duties and injuries- went off to a brisk start but the aggressiveness shot back at them as Dirk Nannes and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Pattinson-c1653 bowling in tandem left the opposition reeling at 69
for 5 by the 9th over. Both Nannes and Pattinson shared three wickets each conceding 23 and 22 runs respectively from their quota of four overs.
The young Australian duo of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Usman-Khawaja-c2729 and Steve O'Keefe then buckled down to add 61 runs for the sixth wicket to steady the innings and drag the side towards a respectable total of 168 for 7 from 20 overs. Khawaja struck a whirlwind
65-run innings off just 43 balls plundering nine muscular boundaries while number seven O’Keefe hit five fours and a lofty six in his mature half-century which came off just 38 deliveries.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Victoria-c859 seemed to be cruising in the chase after reaching the three-digit score inside 12 overs with nine wickets still intact before O’Keefe’s double strike made things difficult for the hosts.
The spinner had fluent opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brad-Hodge-c1184 leg before wicket off the last ball of the same over. Finch scored 53 off 37 balls
laced with three boundaries and two sixes while Hodge added 22 runs to the team’s total.
The home side was further dented when the skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-McDonald-c1042 holed out the next over scoring a sweet duck. McDonald was caught by Hughes in the covers off Scott Coyte.
From there, the Bushrangers never looked like making a comeback in the match. Teenagers Sean Abbott and Patrick Cummins contributed remarkably in sealing the deal in Blues’ favour. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Abbott-c41507 finished with 2 for 25 from four overs while
Cummins returned with 1 for 27.
O’Keefe was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his match winning all-round effort and he must be eyeing a World Cup call-up now as Nathan Hauritz’s chances of playing in the mega event are in tatters after the Queenslander picked up a shoulder
injury recently.
This was Victoria’s first Big Bash defeat at home and the side is now at the bottom of the points table with only one victory.
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