Mitchell Marsh not only prevented Lahore Lions from making it to the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20, but also paved the way for Chennai Super Kings' entry into the last-four stage.
The Australia all-rounder scored an unbeaten 63 off just 38 balls, inclusive of seven boundaries and three sixes, and put up a crucial unbroken 68 runs with compatriot Brad Hogg (28 not out; 19 balls 2x4 2x6)as Scorchers beat Lions by three wickets in their last group match, overhauling a modest target of 125 with six balls to spare at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Scorchers restricted the Pakistani side to a mere 124 for six before finishing with 130 for 7 in 19 overs.
Had Lahore Lions pulled off victory by a margin of 46 runs, they would have displaced Chennai Super Kings from the No 2 slot in Group A and progressed to the semi-finals.
Hogg hit Adnan Rosool for a six in the 14th over to knock Lahore out of the reckoning and clear Chennai’s passage to the semis.
Kolkata Knight Riders were already through after topping Group A, having registered four victories in as many matches.
The Lions needed to bundle out the Scorchers for 78 to make the semis, but failed to contain their opponents after a good showing early on.
When the Lions batted the Scorchers bowlers wreaked havoc as paceman Joel Paris (3-22) and Mitchell Marsh (2-12) shared five wickets between them.
Saad Nasim top-scored for the Pakistani side with an unbeaten 69 off 55 balls, studded with five fours and a six.
Put into bat, Lions lost three early wickets with just two runs on the board.
Paris accounted for the wickets of the two openers, Nasir Jamshed (1) and Umar Siddiq (1), while Marsh saw off skipper Mohammad Hafeez (0) and Wahab Riaz (0) for a nought each, leaving the Lions reeling at 11 for four.
Nasim shared a 43-run fifth-wicket stand with Umar Akmal (26) and then put on a solid 48 with Mohammad Saeed for the sixth wicket to bring the Pakistani outfit back on track and cross the 100-run mark.
Meanwhile, play was interrupted briefly due to rain.
Chasing the modest target, the Scorchers also did not have an ideal start as they lost seven wickets for just 62 runs on the board.
They kept losing wickets at regular intervals, the top and middle order, barring opener Cameron Bancroft (22), failing to reach the double digit mark.
At 62 for seven, the Lions had a realistic chance of bundling out the Aussie unit out for below 78 and advancing to the next stage, but Marsh and Hogg combined to consolidate the innings and guide their team to a rather comfortable victory in the end.
In the 19th over, Scorchers hit three sixes off Wahab Riaz -- two by Hogg and one by Marsh -- to wrap up the match quickly.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Hafeez was the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of two for eight in his allotted four overs.
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