South Australia Redbacks beat Highveld Lions by 11 runs | Redbacks vs Lions Highlights

South Australia Redbacks 178 for 7 (Klinger 78, Ferguson 47) beat Lions 167 for 8 (Petersen 56, Tait 3-36) by 11 runs

The 4th Airtel CLT20 match turned out to be a a battle of captains where Michael Klinger's 48-ball 78 for South Australia Redbacks outweighed Alviro Petersen's 35-ball 56 for the Lions. Klinger's effort not only lasted longer than his counterpart's, he could draw on more support from the other end too: Callum Ferguson, the new vice-captain, raised 97 in 9.3 overs with him after a slow start, a South Australian third-wicket record.

The key moments in the big chase, which seemed on for more than half the innings, came in the 11th and 13th overs. With 86 required off 58 and seven wickets in hand, Neil McKenzie called for a second only to see Gary Putland - at sweeper-cover - fire in a throw right on top of the stumps. So alert were South Australia that Graham Manou, the keeper who has been relieved of captaincy duties, had his keeping glove off, completed the run-out, and then got the non-striker out too. Just in case.

Two overs later, Daniel Christian, who had got Vaughn van Jaarsveld in his first over, produced the final game-breaker with an accurate inswinger that Petersen missed and was hit in front. Seventy-one off 44 was always going to be too much for the lower order, especially with Shaun Tait's pace lurking.

For a major part of the first innings, though, it didn't seem Lions would be chasing that much. South Australia managed just 19 runs in the first five overs, and it seemed they would struggle without the big-hitting services of Kieron Pollard and Shahid Afridi. Another "outsider", though, their new captain and Victorian Klinger, made up for it, almost single-handedly.

Klinger moved to South Australia two seasons ago and played no part in their qualification for the Champions League, but if there were question marks over his walking into the new-look side as captain, they exist no more after his first half-century in the format.

Petersen, who took over captaincy from Thami Tsolekile, the man who led the Lions to their domestic T20 final, continued resisting with the bat, finding a way to score off bowlers other than Tait, keeping Lions in touch with the rate, even ahead of it by the halfway mark. Wickets kept falling at the other end, though, and his dismissal signalled the end of the contest.