Champions League T20: Lumb stars as Sixers crush Lions

JOHANNESBURG: Michael Lumb struck an unbeaten 82 as the Sydney Sixers overwhelmed the Highveld Lions by 10 wickets with 45 balls to spare Sunday in the Champions League Twenty20 final at the Wanderers.

South Africa-born Lumb and Brad Haddin (38 not out) were deceptively cautious for a few overs before giving an exhibition of 20-over batting at its best to reach 124-0 in 12.3 overs after the Lions made a paltry 121 off 20 overs.

Lumb did have his moment of luck -- dropped by Gulam Bodi at the boundary when on 17 -- but made the most of it to slam eight fours and five sixes and win the golden bat award for highest scorer in the tournament.

The over after Lumb was dropped, skipper Haddin has his lucky escape at the boundary, with the culprit this time being Dwaine Pretorius, and from then on it was a question of how quickly the Sixers would wrap it up.

Fittingly, it was a four from Lumb that brought the rout to an end, leaving the Sydney franchise $2.5 million richer while Lions skipper Alviro Petersen collected a $1.3 million cheque.

Lions began disastrously as the Sixers sprang a surprise by starting with spinners rather than pace men and had middle-order Jean Symes (51) to thank for reaching 121 with the last wicket falling off the final ball of the innings.(AFP)