HYDERABAD, India, CMC – Opener David Warner blazed a rapid 40 and propelled New South Wales (NSW) to a fluent six-wicket whipping of Somerset with more than eight overs to spare in their Champions League Twenty20 Super 8 match yesterday.
Sent to bat, Somerset were limited to just 111 for seven off their 20 overs and NSW responded with 112 for four off 11.5 overs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium to rebound from their stinging loss to Trinidad and Tobago on Friday night.
The Australian side received a telling early three-wicket burst by pacer Stuart Clark, who shot down Somerset’s top order and triggered a collapse that left the English county struggling at 44 for five in the 10th over.
Zander de Bruyn (23) and Wes Durston (20 not out) were the chief scorers for Somerset.
The Anguilla and Leeward Islands all-rounder Omari Banks, playing his first match of the tournament, scored 15 off 18 balls before he was bowled off the bottom edge as he tried to pull a rising delivery from pacer Brett Lee.
Man of the match Clark returned solid figures of three for 15 off four overs for NSW.
Warner then blasted 40 off 16 balls with six fours and two sixes to set the platform for NSW’s easy win.
Skipper Simon Katich (18) was not out at the end after Daniel Smith (20) and Phillip Hughes (18) had kept up good momentum from Warner’s blistering start.
Off-spinner Banks removed Warner to a brilliant running catch by Jos Buttler at long-off and finished with figures of one for 28 off two overs.
