New South Wales Blues beat Victoria by 79 runs

New Delhi: New South Wales stormed into the finals of the inaugural inaugural Twenty20 Champions League after thrashing Victoria by 79 runs in the first semi-final at Delhi on Wednesday.



David Warner's spectacular  25-ball 48 knock was the highlight of the Blues innings, with Phil Hughes (35) and Simon Katich (26) also punishing Victoria's bowlers.

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New South Wales now moves to Hyderabad where they will face the winner of the Trinidad and Tobago and Cape Cobras semi-final on Friday.

Opting to bat first on a slow surface at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, the Blues were off to a great start as David Warner (48) and Phillip Hughes (35) added 62 runs off 41 balls. Building on the strong foundation laid by the openers, Simon Katich (26) and Daniel Smith (20) ensured that the Blues reach a bulky target of 169 for 7.

In reply the Victorian batsmen collapsed like a pack of spineless cards and were restricted 90 for 9 . Nathan Hauritz (2 for 25) , Moises Henriques (3 for 11), Brett Lee( 2 for15) were the chief architects of the Bushrangers collapse.

Only four Victorian batsmen managed to reach double figures, with wicketkeeper Matthew Wade top-scoring with 23,.

Brief scores:

NSW: 169 for 7 in 20 overs (Warner 48, Hughes 35, Mc Kay 3 for 27) beat Victoria: 90 for 9 in 20 overs (Wade 23 no, Henriques 3 for 11, Hauritz 2 for 25).

Today's match: Second semi-final (from 8.pm IST ): Cape Cobras vs Trinidad and Tobago.

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