CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Sydney Sixers qualified for the semi-finals of the 2012 Champions League T20 with a five-wicket win over the Highveld Lions yesterday.

Michael Lumb and Shane Watson began the 138-run chase in earnest, with a 60-run stand for the first wicket, before Aaron Phangiso broke the partnership by having the former bowled for 22. The left-armer went on to remove Thornely and Watson as the Sixers fell from 60/0 to 74/3. The Lions were clearly back in the hunt.
But once Phangiso completed his quota of four overs, Sixers skipper Brad Haddin eased the pressure with three consecutive sixes off Jean Symes. This ensured that the chase turned into a run-a-ball equation, and though Haddin fell towards the end, Steve Smith hung around to take his side for their third consecutive win.
Earlier, Sydney won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first. The Lions started by sending the ball thrice past the fence off the first three deliveries of the match.
Gulam Bodi led the onslaught, even as skipper Alviro Petersen fell to Josh Hazlewood. Quinton de Kock followed soon in similar fashion, edging the ball to Haddin, with the feet nowhere near the ball.
Haddin went on to pouch another two, as Neil McKenzie and Zander de Bruyn walked back to the dugout without keeping their wickets intact. Bodi however continued to put a price on his wicket, as he made Dominic Thornely pay for some ordinary bowling.
The left-hander brought up his half-century, and it looked like the Lions would rake up a decent score as long as he was around.
It wasn’t to be. Bodi played across to Starc, missed, and was trapped leg-before-wicket. With the lynchpin out of the way, the Lions walked back with their tail between the legs. Man-of-the-Match Mitchell Starc did a fine job in the end, taking 3-18, as the Australian club restricted their opponents to 137-9.
Sydney’s bowlers had won the match even before their batsmen began the chase.