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Centurion - Aaron Finch made a superb unbeaten 93 off 60 balls to take the Victoria Bushrangers to a seven-wicket victory over the New Zealand Central Stags in their Airtel Champions League Twenty20 match at Centurion on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bushrangers got off to a good start when Peter Siddle took two wickets in the first over to have the Stags reeling on 3/2, but Stags captain Jamie How recovered from a sluggish start to take his team to 165 for five in their 20 overs.
Their final total had looked unlikely at one stage, with the Kiwi side were floundering on 48 for three at the halfway stage, but a 66-run partnership off 30 balls between How and Brendon Diamanti saw the Stags fight back.
John Hastings came in for a real pasting when he conceded 28 runs off the 18th over.
The Stags added 67 runs in the last five overs, with How not out on 77, including 10 fours and three sixes.
After setting a defendable target of 166, the Stags made things difficult for themselves with some dropped catches and misfields, but the outcome of the match was not clear until the last few overs.
Finch smashed 11 boundaries and three sixes on his way to his 93, which is the highest score in the tournament so far. He and David Hussey shared a third wicket stand of 51 off 41 balls, and he and Andrew McDonald shared an undefeated partnership of 66.
The victory means the Bushrangers are back in the hunt for a semi-final berth, but it was the second defeat for the Stags, who lost to the Chennai Super Kings in Durban on Saturday and they will have a tough fight to stay in the competition.
Both teams will be in action in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, with the Stags taking on the Warriors on their home ground, while the Bushrangers will play the Super Kings.
The Bushrangers got off to a good start when Peter Siddle took two wickets in the first over to have the Stags reeling on 3/2, but Stags captain Jamie How recovered from a sluggish start to take his team to 165 for five in their 20 overs.
Their final total had looked unlikely at one stage, with the Kiwi side were floundering on 48 for three at the halfway stage, but a 66-run partnership off 30 balls between How and Brendon Diamanti saw the Stags fight back.
John Hastings came in for a real pasting when he conceded 28 runs off the 18th over.
The Stags added 67 runs in the last five overs, with How not out on 77, including 10 fours and three sixes.
After setting a defendable target of 166, the Stags made things difficult for themselves with some dropped catches and misfields, but the outcome of the match was not clear until the last few overs.
Finch smashed 11 boundaries and three sixes on his way to his 93, which is the highest score in the tournament so far. He and David Hussey shared a third wicket stand of 51 off 41 balls, and he and Andrew McDonald shared an undefeated partnership of 66.
The victory means the Bushrangers are back in the hunt for a semi-final berth, but it was the second defeat for the Stags, who lost to the Chennai Super Kings in Durban on Saturday and they will have a tough fight to stay in the competition.
Both teams will be in action in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, with the Stags taking on the Warriors on their home ground, while the Bushrangers will play the Super Kings.
