Bushrangers Take on Warriors For a Tough Battle

Port Elizabeth: Once Victoria Bushrangers take the field against the Warriors at St. George's Park on Friday, all the contenders for the Champions League Twenty20 would have been in action.

Warriors high on confidence after their opening match victory over Wayamba, the Chevorlet Warriors would look to continue their winning momentum when they take on the David Hussey led Victoria Bushrangers.

Rusty Theron's street cred is that of a death-over specialist, when he bowls full and straight to thwart batsmen intent on hitting sixes. Against Wayamba, however, Theron threw two decisive punches in the first over of the game, dismissing Mahela Jayawardene and Mahela Udawatte. A similar start against Victoria will go a long way towards securing a Warriors victory against one of the tougher teams in their group.

Rob Quiney is another batsman who would be expected to shine, given his explosive hitting ability. The opener struggled on the slow and low wickets in the third edition of the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, but is likely to find the South African conditions much easier for his style of play. The absence of Bravo, who is representing the Mumbai Indians, would be a bit of a setback.

However, facing the mighty Victoria Bushrangers would be a different proposition altogether. The Aussies side may not have regular skipper Cameron White, who is representing the Bangalore Royal Challengers, but in stand-in captain David Hussey, Brad Hodge, and Aaron Finch, Bushrangers have a host of Twenty20 specialists who are capable of destroying any bowling attack on their day.

The pace attack will be led by Nannes and Harwood, with seam bowling support from McKay, Andrew McDonald and John Hastings.  Glenn Maxwell, Hussey and Hodge are spin options if required.

An allrounder who topped Victoria's wicket tally in all three formats last season, Hastings is a clever medium-fast bowler who should enjoy working on the South African pitches.

Team from

Victorian Bushrangers David Hussey (capt), Ryan Carters (wk), Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Brad Hodge, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Clint McKay, Glenn Maxwell, Dirk Nannes, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Matthew Wade.

Chevrolet Warriors: Davey Jacobs(capt), Ashwell Prince, Colin Ingram, Justin Kreusch, Mark Boucher (wk), Nicky Boje, Johan Botha, Craig Thyssen, Juan Theron, Makhaya Ntini, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Arno Jacobs, Garnett Kruger, JJ Smuts, Lyall Meyer.

Stats and trivia

• Colin Ingram, with 283 runs at a strike-rate of 144 in eight matches, was the highest run-scorer in South Africa's Pro20 series in 2009-10.
• Allrounder John Hastings was Victoria's top wicket-taker during the 2009-10 Big Bash, taking ten wickets in seven games.

Match facts
Monday, September 13, 2010 (day/night)
Start time 17:30 local (15:30 GMT)