Warriors have five bowlers with international experience in their line-up but it was the sixth, medium-pacer Justin Kreusch, who made the biggest impact in their crunch match against Chennai Super Kings. Kreusch's no-frills wicket-to-wicket bowling fetched him three wickets and ruined the platform Chennai's openers, Michael Hussey and M Vijay, had constructed. It left Warriors facing what should be a gettable target, and almost certainly guaranteed their progress to the semi-finals.
The other key performer was Johan Botha, one of the tournament's most economical bowlers, who again handcuffed the opposition and provided what could well be the game's turning point - the dismissal of Hussey in the 14th over, the ball after he reached his half-century. From what was a potentially dangerous 94 for 2, Chennai could only scrape 20 runs in the next five overs, when they should have been launching an all-out attack.
Warriors can also be proud of their fielding effort, throwing themselves around the boundary to save plenty of runs, and also nabbing the big wicket of Suresh Raina through a sharp, diving-forward catch from Colin Ingram at long-on.
Chennai's openers had made a rock-solid start, setting up their side for what should have been a far more challenging target. Vijay was the dominant partner in a 63-run stand. He usually scores heavily on the leg-side in Twenty20s, and today's innings was an exclusively on-side effort barring his first runs which came off a carve past point.
Hussey was more circumspect early on, knocking the singles around - his first stroke of aggression as in the fifth over, charging down and lofting Lonwabo Tsotsobe towards long-on. A powerful reverse-sweep for four followed off Nicky Boje, before he started peppering his favourite midwicket region. There were only two dot balls in his final 21 deliveries, as he pushed Chennai to a strong position.
His dismissal, however, sandwiching those of Raina and S Badrinath to Kreusch, derailed Chennai. They got going again only in the 19th over, when MS Dhoni clubbed 17 runs off Tsotsobe, including a giant six over midwicket. Despite all that, Warriors have the straightforward task of making 109 to qualify for the semi-finals.
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