| Scorecard: | Titans v Perth Scorchers |
| Event: | Champions League 2012/13 |
DateLine: 12th October 2012
Titans vs Perth Scorchers
Match Preview
Champions League 2012
With qualifying completed, the inaugural game of the Karbonn Champions League Twenty20 2012 will feature two teams making their debut in the competition. Titans, the winners of the MiWay T20 Challenge (South Africas Domestic T20 competition) will square off against the Perth Scorchers, the runners-up in Australias Big Bash League.
Both teams are packed with International talent and are dominant forces in their own domestic T20 competitions so a close and entertaining match should be in store.
Looking at the two line-ups, Perth have an experienced side led by former Australian International Marcus North. The skipper is an effective lower order batsman who bowls innocuous but occasionally effective off spin and is likely to have a key role to play in this game and in the fixtures ahead.
The Scorchers will also include Englands 2010 World T20 winning captain Paul Collingwood. At 36, the Durham all-rounder is approaching veteran status but will be vital with both bat and ball to help his side across the line in tight finishes.
Collingwood may have valued experience but incredibly, there are three players in the side older than him. Simon Katich at 37 and South African Herschelle Gibbs, who is 38, will be vital at the top of the order while the 41-year-old Brad Hogg is a regular performer in T20 matches across the world. The Perth Scorchers will look to their top order to do bulk of the run-scoring. In Herschelle Gibbs, Marcus North and Shaun Marsh, the Perth Scorchers have a lot of firepower and experience at the top. While Gibbs was the second-highest run-getter for the Scorchers in their Big Bash League campaign, behind Mitchell Marshs tally of 309 runs, skipper North was not too far behind with an aggregate of 273 runs in eight innings.
It is important to note that the Perth Scorchers success in the Big Bash League was built around the consistently good starts given by their openers and they will be keen to use the same formula in the Karbonn CLT20 2012 too. It is clear that the Australian side are hoping that this experience will count in their favor but equally, the fact that they have an aging side is an area that other teams will look to exploit.
The Titans hope to be first in line to make life hard for Perths 30 and 40-somethings. The South African team are three-time winners of their domestic T20 tournament and are captained by another cricket veteran, 38-year-old Martin van Jaarsveld.
The skipper aside, this is a much younger team and it features a crop of current internationals including Jacques Rudolph, Farhaarn Berhardien and current South African T20 captain AB De Villiers.
All will have a crucial role to play in the batting department while the Titans feature a man who many believe to be the best exponent of death bowling in limited overs cricket. Alphonso Thomas fetches big fame from T20 teams across the globe and on home grounds with his own side, he could be a crucial figure in this match and in the whole tournament. He is among the top five wicket-takers in Twenty20 cricket, and his team will look towards him for leadership on the bowling front.
Titans attack is complemented by twin left arm spinners Paul Harris and Roelof van der Merwe. Both men have fallen out of favor with International selectors but will be crucial to their sides Champions League bid.
The opening match may not be the most entertaining in any tournament but this should be a close contest. The teams look to be evenly matched and with the benefit of playing on home soil, you may think the Titans offer better value in the result market.
This match will be the first time these two teams will be meeting in a Twenty20 match.
(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
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