Victoria makes preliminary final

Picture by - Johann Jayasinha (SNNI) Melbourne

CRICKET VICTORIA

Angus Morgan at the MCG, Sportal 

A record 147-run stand between Brad Hodge and Aaron Finch has powered the Bushrangers to a thumping nine-wicket victory over Tasmania at the MCG on Friday, qualifying Victoria for a place in Tuesday's Big Bash preliminary final.

Chasing the Tigers' 160, Hodge, who made 90 from 56 deliveries, and Finch, an unbeaten 58 from 39, gobbled up the runs virtually by themselves before a delighted holiday crowd of 43,125 - also a record - on a balmy Melbourne evening.

Dwayne Bravo (12 not out) had the honour of hitting the winning runs - a boundary from the fifth ball of the 16th over.

The Hodge-Finch partnership was Victoria's all-time Twenty20 best and second all-time in this competition behind the 168 achieved by Warriors Shaun Marsh and Wes Robinson against New South Wales at the WACA earlier this month.

The veteran Hodge, who retired from Shield cricket before Christmas to concentrate on the shorter forms of the game, had been below his best in this season's Big Bash - until now.

He slammed six fours and five sixes in his whirlwind innings that spared none of the Tigers bowlers.

The 35-year-old appeared set to register a triple-figure score when he holed out to Brett Geeves at long-off from Xavier Doherty.

Finch, who's been a real find for the Bushrangers in this season's Big Bash, proved a marvellous foil for Hodge in slamming six fours and two sixes.

Earlier, the Vics weathered an early onslaught from opener Tim Paine to restrict Tasmania to 7-160.

Paine pounded 61 from 32 balls-faced including two towering sixes over mid-wicket and six fours to set the platform for a score of 200-plus.

But the hosts, for whom Clint McKay returned the best bowling figures of 2-24, managed to apply the brakes in the second half of the innings as the Tigers' middle-order lost its way.

Opener Rhett Lockyear, who scored a dashing century against the Vics at this venue in the Ford Ranger Cup earlier this season, announced himself with a slashing square drive to the boundary in the opening over from Dirk Nannes.

Lockyear was out from the very next delivery, however, when he fended at Nannes' nasty riposte which was aimed for his ribs and was caught by a tumbling Hodge at square leg.

Ed Cowan, who made 23 from 19 deliveries, helped Paine to take the score to 65 in the eighth over when he miscued John Hastings' first delivery and the ball ballooned to Finch at mid-off.

Paine had been the driving force behind Tasmania's excellent score of 2-98 at the halfway mark of the innings, but the hard-hitting 'keeper was trapped in front by Jon Holland from the first delivery of the very next over.

This heralded a super comeback by the Vics who managed to restrict the Tigers to 62 in their second block of 10 overs for the loss of five wickets.

After scoring at least one boundary in each of the first 10 overs, the Tigers managed just one in the following six.

It took some lusty late hitting from Geeves - who was run out from the final ball of the innings for 22 from 14 - to get Tassie to 160.

Victoria will play either Queensland or Western Australia in Tuesday's prelim with the winner of that match to advance to the January 23 final against South Australia at Adelaide Oval and the lucrative Champions League Twenty20 in India later this year.

Tasmania innings
Lockyear c Hodge b Nannes 4 (3)
Paine lbw Holland 61 (32)
Cowan c Finch b Hastings 23 (19)
Bailey c Finch b Bravo 12 (11)
Birt c Hussey b McKay 9 (10)
Rogers b Nannes 16 (18)
Naved c and b Hastings 8 (12)
Geeves run out 22 (14)
Krejza not out 1 (1)
Extras: 4 (2lb, 2w)
Total:  160 (7 wickets, 20 overs)
FOW: 1-6, 2-65, 3-98, 4-108, 5-123, 6-134, 7-158, 8-160

Bowling
Nannes 4 - 0 - 26 - 2 (1w)
McKay 4 - 0 - 24 - 2 (1w)
Bravo 4 - 0 - 29 - 1
Holland 2 - 0 - 16 - 1
Hastings 4 - 0 - 38 - 1
McDonald 1 - 0 - 12 - 0
Hussey 1 - 0 - 13 - 0

Victoria innings
Hodge c Geeves b Doherty 90 (56)
Finch not out 58 (39)
Bravo not out 12 (7)
Extras: 4 (1nb, 3w)
Total: 161 (1 wickets, 16.5 overs)
FOW: 1-147

Bowling
Doherty 4 - 0 - 30 - 1
Geeves 3 - 0 - 39 - 0
Faulkner 2.5 - 0 - 31 - 0 (1nb, 3w)
Naved 4 - 0 - 38 - 0
Krejza 3 - 0 - 23 - 0