Matador Cup final, New South Wales v South Australia: NSW win by 9 wickets

Matador Cup final, New South Wales v South Australia: NSW win by 9 wickets: The Matador Cup is New South Wales’ possession now as they vanquished a beleaguered South Australia side by 9 wickets in the final.  The Blues brushed the Redbacks aside with 9 wickets and more than 20 overs to spare stamping their authority over their opponents.

Earlier Steven Smith put the visitors to bat on a slightly overcast day at North Sydney Oval. It was an interesting decision as the pitch seemed to offer a lot for the batsmen

Except for Cooper’s brilliant century and Callum Ferguson’s delightful half century, there was nothing to cheer for the South Australia Redbacks as the rest of their batsmen failed to live up to the expectations. At the end of it all, South Australia could only post 221 runs on the board. The bowlers put up a disciplined show and bowled to the plan.

Chasing 222 is not a daunting task, but in a final, there is no room for an inch of complacency. Captain Steve Smith took matters in his own hands and struck a wonderfully constructed half century along with his partner at the other end Ed Cowan and steered his side home to a thumping win.

Brief Scores:

South Australia – 221/10 (Cooper 105, Ferguson 61; Hazlewood 3-28, Starc 3-39)

New South Wales – 223/1 (Cowan 88*, Smith 84*)

New South Wales won the match by 9 wickets