International

Australia beat SA by 8 wickets, enter into Semi final

Colombo: Australia get a comfortable eight-wicket win over South Africa in the their second Super Eights match on Sunday.
Chasing a modest target of 147, Watson once again showed his all-round prowess with a smashing 70 off 47 balls after taking two important wickets as Australia reached the target with 14 balls to spare.

His innings included eight boundaries and two sixes off left-arm spinner Robin Peterson and that fetched him his fourth consecutive man-of-the-match award.

Watson has so far scored 234 runs in four matches at an astonishing average of 78, not to forget the 10 wickets that he has taken.

Watson’s 99-run second wicket partnership with the ever-dependable Mike Hussey (45 not
There was no stopping Watson after that as he played shots all round the wicket. When Peterson dropped it short, he rocked back to pull it over deep mid-wicket. When Parnel bowled it short, he pulled over square leg for a six which also brought up his third half century in the tournament.

Earlier, leg-spinner Xavier Doherty sparkled with figures of three for 20 to help Australia restrict South Africa to a modest 146 for five.

Australian skipper George Bailey’s decision to play Doherty ahead of Dan Christian on a slowish track turned out to be a masterstroke.

Handed the new ball along with left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, Doherty responded to his captain’s call and picked up the crucial wickets of Richard Levi, Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy to put Australia in the driver’s seat after Bailey won the toss and elected to field.

Doherty was ably supported by in-form Shane Watson, who finished with figures of two for

Duminy and de Villiers then added 31 runs for the fourth wicket before the former was stumped by Wade off Doherty in the 11th over.

With pressure building on him to score quickly, De Villiers perished, caught by Bailey off Watson.

But thanks to a vital unbeaten 60-run sixth-wicket stand between Behardien and Peterson which came off just 35 balls, South Africa managed to inch closer to 150.

While Behardien hit two fours and a six during his 27-ball innings, Peterson’s 32 came off just 19 balls with the help of six boundaries.
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