Twenty 20 Blog

New South Wales stormed into the Super Eights of the Champions League after dishing out a 35-run beating to Sussex Sharks in Delhi.

Blues’ opener Phil Hughes made a deliberate 62 while Moises Henriques blasted 51 from just 33 balls as the Aussies made a useful 130 for two on a slow surface.

And it proved a task beyond Ed Joyce’s side, who mustered only 95 for eight in reply after the stand-in captain fell first ball, fellow opener Chris Nash top-scoring with 24.

Hughes and David Warner struggled to come to terms with the difficult conditions but they managed to eke out 35 runs in the first seven overs before Warner was superbly run out by Dwayne Smith at gully.

Wicket-keeper Daniel Smith was promoted in the order in an attempt to accelerate the pace but lasted just five balls before Piyush Chawla had him caught by Robin Martin-Jenkins.

But Henriques was the key batsman on this occasion, surviving a difficult chance to Rory Hamilton-Brown at short extra-cover, and was soon on the attack against Chawla, lifting him for six in an over that cost 17 runs.

Hughes grafted his way to a half-century and was immediately dropped by Joyce at mid-wicket, while Henriques was handed another life on 48 when Chawla dropped him at long leg.

Sharks required around a run-a-ball but were swiftly on the back foot when the impeccable Brett Lee bowled Joyce on the way to figures of one for eight from his four overs.

Hamilton-Brown and Smith both made 13 but failed to break from the shackles while Nash struggled to 24 from 30 balls before he became one of three wickets for man-of-the-match Henriques.

The Portuguese-born Aussie then completed his domination over Chawla by having him caught first ball and although Joe Gatting denied him a hat-trick, the Sussex challenge faded away.

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