CAPE TOWN — A fine knock by Shane Watson and some excellent bowling from Mitchell Starc helped the Sydney Sixers beat the Lions by five wickets at Newlands Thursday to seal their spot in the semifinals of the Karbonn Smart Champions League T20 semifinals. Despite an excellent effort from Gulam Bodi at the top of the order, the Lions struggled in their innings and stuttered to 137-9 in their innings, while the Sixers chased down the total with an over still to spare to retain their unbeaten run in the tournament and become the first team to seal a semifinal berth in the competition. On Wednesday, IPL winner Kolkata Knight Riders was knocked out of the event after their must-win match against Perth Scorchers was called off due to incessant rain. The Knight Riders needed to win the match, having suffered reverses in their first two outings against Delhi Daredevils and Auckland Aces, but luck deserted Gautam Gambhir and his men on their most important day. In the process, they became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament proper. Deccan loses battle Cash-strapped Indian Premier League side Deccan Chargers Thursday lost another attempt to remain in the lucrative competition after a court backed its expulsion. The Bombay High Court quashed an arbitrator's order that had stopped the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from going ahead with its decision to throw the Chargers out of the Twenty20 league. “The arbitrator had no jurisdiction,” judge R.D. Dhanuka was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. “No case is made out ... for granting stay on termination.” The BCCI, which owns the IPL, has already invited bids to set up a new team in place of the Chargers, who were removed for financial violations including its failure to pay salaries to players. Pakistan wants batting coach Pakistan Thursday launched a search for its first ever full-time batting coach in a bid to boost an area of the side's game that has let it down in major events. Pakistan unsuccessfully chased a target of 140 in its semifinal defeat against host Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 semifinal earlier this month, again highlighting its weakness when batting second in a limited overs match. The side also fell behind in its run-chase against arch-rival India in the World Cup (50 overs) semifinal in Mohali in March last year. The advertisement on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) website invites applications from candidates with a Level III coaching qualification and five years experience, to be submitted by Nov. 4. In March, Pakistan hired former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore as its head coach before adding Englishman Julien Fountain as fielding coach and its own former paceman Mohammad Akram as bowling coach. — Agencies
