T20 joy for Australia

Hosts secure 2-0 series win over South Africa with six-wicket success

Last updated: 15th January 2009

T20 joy for Australia

Hussey: return to form

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Second Twenty20 International
Brisbane
South Africa 157-5 (J P Duminy 69 no) v Australia 161-4 (M E K Hussey 53 no)
Australia beat South Africa by 6 wkts

Australia chased down a target of 158 to beat South Africa by six wickets in Brisbane and clinch the Twenty20 series 2-0.

Michael Hussey and Cameron White shared a stand of 69 to get Australia across the line with seven balls to spare.

The fifth-wicket pair came together with the hosts at 92-4 and 66 still required off the final seven overs.

The match turned decisively in Australia's favour when the 17th over, bowled by debutant seamer Wayne Parnell, went for 19 runs.

Hussey took full advantage of a missed stumping chance early in his innings to finish with 53 off 33 balls and White, who hit four successive fours off the unfortunate Parnell (0-44), with 40 from 18.

The run chase had not started well, rookie opening batsman David Warner failing to repeat his fireworks from Australia's win at the MCG last Sunday, when he smashed a rapid 89.

This time he fell to a Dale Steyn (1-19) yorker for seven and was soon followed back to the pavilion by opening partner Shaun Marsh (15), who chipped a simple catch to mid-on off Morne Morkel.

Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey added 61 in 6.3 overs before the tourists hit back with two quick wickets.

Duminy catch

Ponting (38) was run out when Morkel (2-32) fielded the ball in his follow through and, two balls later, Jean-Paul Duminy produced a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch sprinting backwards from mid-on to dismiss David Hussey (2).

But that brought White out to join the elder Hussey for the match-winning alliance.

Earlier, Duminy's 69 not out had allowed South Africa to reach 157-5 after being asked to bat.

The in-form left-hander rescued the Proteas after they had slumped to 41-3 in the eighth over.

Opener Herschelle Gibbs poked his way to six from 12 balls before being caught on the leg-side after fetching a good length James Hopes delivery from outside off-stump.

Gibbs' opening partner Hashim Amla had been going along slightly better on his Twenty20 debut, finding the boundary once and clearing the rope for the first six of the match.

But his run-a-ball 26 was ended when he miscued a pull off Ben Hilfenhaus (1-32) straight to White at mid-on and Vaughn van Jaarsveld soon followed for a golden duck after missing with an attempt to sweep David Hussey's (1-18) off-spin.

Rescue act

Coming together with South Africa in trouble at 41-3, Duminy and Mark Boucher repaired the damage with a workmanlike partnership, but while their stand was high on determination it was short on boundaries.

Duminy gave the innings some much-needed impetus when he scooped the first ball of the 14th over - and the first of Hopes' second spell - into the stands for six.

That momentum, however, was soon undone as Boucher (19) also tried to go aerial but succeeded only in lofting his drive into Shaun Tait's hands to give Hopes (2-29) a second wicket.

Albie Morkel produced a couple of mighty swipes before falling for a rapid 19, with Duminy keeping the scoreboard ticking along while new partner Neil McKenzie (7no) looked lethargic.

But Duminy was happy to go alone, hitting 12 runs from the final three deliveries, including a powerful straight six to close with 69 from 41 balls.

The teams move on to Melbourne on Friday for the opening game of a five-match one-day international series.