Champions League – Finch-hitting guides Victoria to victory
Victoria have defeated http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aaron-Finch-c881 carrying his bat in a match-winning innings for the Bushrangers.
Peter Siddle gave Victoria the best possible start with the ball, claiming the first two wickets of the match as the Stags lost opener Peter Ingram for a duck and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tim-Weston-c2674 for two within the first three legitimate deliveries of the innings.
A diving catch by wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Matthew-Wade-c1933 extracted Matthew Sinclair (14 from 21) from the middle and gave John Hastings his first scalp of the day, as the Bushrangers contained the Central Districts’ run rate to less than five an over at the halfway point of their innings.
Central Districts would have been disappointed to lose George http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brendon-Diamanti-c1193 (19 from 11), which finally ended when the latter sought to send the ball over the boundary rope for the second consecutive ball but instead found Siddle’s safe hands.
It was How (with an unbeaten 77 from 55) though who was the star of the Stags’ innings, his 28 runs facing Hastings in the 18th over of the innings a potential game-changer for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 side, as they posted a total of 165-5 - a score that seemed well beyond their reach after the first 10 overs.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rob-Quiney-c2340 given a life when Weston grounded what should have been a straightforward catch in the fourth, before picking out the fielder at short fine leg the next over to depart for a 15-ball 15.
Finch would again ride his luck in the 12th over when George Worker failed to complete a one-handed caught-and-bowled chance, but captain David Hussey wasn’t afforded the same chances as his teammate, as he was caught behind on 18 (from 17) to leave the Bushrangers on 100-3 midway through the 14th over.
Fittingly, it was Finch who hit the winning runs for Victoria, as he reached an unbeaten 93 (from 60 balls) with a six to claim victory for his side with two balls to spare.
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