Champions League T20: Warriors thrash Redbacks by 50 runs

Hyderabad: Jon-Jon Smuts' blistering 88 and an impressive show by the bowlers helped Warriors crush South Australia by 50 runs and record their second consecutive win in the Champions League Twenty20 on Sunday.

Electing to bat, Warriors rode on a strokeful 65-ball 88 by Smuts to post a challenging 171 for five before their bowlers came up a disciplined show to restrict South Australia to 121 for six at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

Warriors' had beaten Royal Challengers Bangalore by three wickets on September 23 in their opening Group B match.

South Australia struggled from the very beginning in their run chase of 172 as they were down 35 for three inside six overs and they never recovered from there with wickets falling at regular intervals.

Fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe snapped two wickets for 30 runs while Smuts, Rusty Theron, Johan Botha and Wayne Parnell took a wicket apiece.

Tsotsobe snapped a wicket each in his first two overs --that of opener Daniel Harris (4) and Tom Cooper (3) -- to send South Australia at the backfoot early on.

Harris nicked a Tsotsobe angled delivery to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher while Cooper was caught and bowled while trying for a pull to leave South Australia at 18 for two in the third over.

Callum Ferguson (7) did not last long as he was foxed by a Theron slow delivery and the batsman spooned the ball to Ingram while going for a drive.

Opener Michael Klinger (34), however, clung on and he punished Warriors bowlers with some delightful shots, including a six off Nicky Boje.

Earlier, Smuts fell 12 short of his maiden CLT20 ton but powered Warriors to 171/5. Despite losing Ashwell Prince early after electing to bat, Warriors ruled over the Redbacks with two big partnerships. 

Prince was bowled out by Shaut Tait (3) in the second over of the match at the score of 10. Smutt and Colin Ingram, however, consolidated the innings, denying the opponents any success for the next nine overs.

The duo shared 73-run stand for the second wicket before Daniel Harris got rid of Ingram (30) to reduce the Warriors to 83/2.

Mark Boucher then paired up well with Smutt who was full charged after reaching his fifty.  Smutt slammed 10 boundaries and two sixes during his 65-ball-88-run knock that came to an end in the 19th over.

Boucher (34) who shared 80-run partnership with Smutt for the third wicket was sent back by Daniel Chirstian in the fifth ball final over. Christain struck again with the final delivery dismissing K Smuts for a duck.