Pomersbach hits Heat into semis

Smashing ... Pomersbach hit the fastest 50 of BBL'02 to guide the Heat to victory. Source: Nikki Davis-jones / News Limited

A brutal onslaught from Luke Pomersbach has powered Brisbane Heat into the semi-finals of the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

T20 - Blundstone Arena

12 January 2013 - Day 1, Session 2

Heat 1st Innings

J. Burns	41	27	2	3	151.85
D. Christian	5	5	1	0	100
J. Wells	0.1	0	4	0	24.00

Pomersbach smashed the fastest 50 of the competition as the Heat demolished Hobart Hurricanes by eight wickets to set up a date with Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

Chasing the home side's below par 3-150, the Heat made a mockery of Hobart's battle with what had appeared a sticky Bellerive pitch to reach the target in just 14.1 overs.

Pomersbach's 50 came from just 24 balls and his 82 from 42 included 13 fours and two sixes.

The Heat finish the regular season equal on eight points with the Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers but with a superior net run rate.

Pomersbach had the Heat off to an absolute flyer, which didn't relent as they motored along at close to 11 an over.

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Relive all the action with our Match Centre, featuring videos of every boundary and wicket!

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Paceman Doug Bollinger (1-41) went for 27 from his first two and Jason Krejza wasn't sighted again after taking 0-31 from his first two.

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Peter Forrest (18 from 11) was caught in the deep off Bollinger at 1-39 but the onslaught continued and in-form paceman Ben Laughlin was dispatched for 20 from his first over.

Pomersbach and Joe Burns (41no from 27) put on 107 from 55 balls to destroy the Hurricanes finals hopes.

		P	W	L	NR	T	Pts	NNR
1	Renegades	8	7	1	0	0	14	0.791
2	Scorchers	8	5	3	0	0	10	1.322
3	Stars	8	5	3	0	0	10	0.246
4	Heat	8	4	4	0	0	8	0.464
5	Strikers	8	4	4	0	0	8	-0.162
6	Hurricanes	8	4	4	0	0	8	-0.569
7	Sixers	8	3	5	0	0	6	-0.38
8	Thunder	8	0	8	0	0	0	-1.36

Hobart needed a late flourish from Jonathan Wells (40 from 24) and Englishman Owais Shah (32 from 28) to make their score competitive.

The home side had scratched their way to 3-84 before Wells and Shah put on 66 from 42 balls.

The Hurricanes managed just a single six, hit by Ricky Ponting (17 from 16), with miserly Heat, skipper James Hopes bowling a miserly 1-18 from his four overs while Dan Christian took 2-32.

A brilliant outfield catch from the Heat's Burns typified their night.

Burns grabbed the ball with an outstretched left hand before tiptoeing along the boundary and somehow staying on the field of play to dismiss Travis Birt (32 from 25).

The match doubled as an appeal for the devastating bushfires that hit Tasmania during the week.

Pomersbach will have scans on an injury suffered when a Bollinger delivery hit his foot.

"I'm pretty positive that it's going to be OK," he said.

"Even if it is cracked I reckon I'll be hiding the X-rays."

He said the Heat would be full of confidence after winning three of their past four.

"We're the underdogs now,'' he said.

"We're going in there, we're going to give it everything and I've got a really good feeling about it."

Hurricanes captain Tim Paine said his side had been 30 runs short.

"We probably misjudged the wicket a little bit although I think it probably suited their bowlers, that sort of slow medium pace," he said.

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Griffiths strike shoots down Roar

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Breakthrough ... Ryan Griffiths helps Newcastle past Brisbane. Source: Liam Driver / News Limited

A Ryan Griffiths goal has ensured Newcastle a 1-0 win over an under-performing Brisbane and lifted them back into the top six on the A-League ladder.

The Jets, missing injured marquee star Emile Heskey (hip flexor), climbed to fifth place with the victory at Hunter Stadium while Roar remain in seventh with their championship defence taking a hit.

The young Jets backline featuring debutante Andrew Hoole managed to nullify the potent Roar attack including super striker Besart Berisha to post back-to-back clean sheets.

A mistake from Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo gifted the Jets an early chance when his pass to a defender was almost intercepted by Griffiths.

The Jets had a golden opportunity to go ahead in the 20th minute thanks to more shoddy defending by the Roar with Theo making amends with a great diving save from Craig Goodwin's strike.

Stand-in Jets skipper Ruben Zadkovich, who was declared fit after a knee injury scare at training, fired two long-range shots in the space of a minute just before the break but just shaved the woodwork.

Goodwin then squandered possibly the best chance of the opening half when he found himself in space inside the box but misfired.

The Jets finally broke through in the 47th minute when an unmarked Griffiths got on the end of a cheeky James Brown back-heel pass to slot home for the 1-0 lead.

Coach Gary van Egmond was pleased with his team's showing under pressure and without Heskey.

"We've seen how well Emile has played for us so to not have your marquee player was a test," he said.

"To get a result when he's not on the field will develop a lot of good character for this team.

"I thought the performance of the defence tonight was excellent. What they lack in experience they definitely made up for with attitude and work ethic.''

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Re-live the Jets' tense win over the Roar in our A-League Match Centre, featuring video highlights and all the important stats.

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The Roar had a chance to level minutes later when Mitchell Nichols got past the Jets defence but gloveman Mark Birighitti came off his line to stop the charging striker.

Brown had a chance to score a goal of his own in the 60th minute but pushed his header just wide.

James Donachie could have levelled with 15 minutes to go when he had Birighitti beaten but sent his shot wide.

Birighitti made sure the visitors remained scoreless by denying Berisha a chance to equalise in the dying minutes.

Roar coach Mike Mulvey admitted Brisbane were not at their best.

"It was a bit of a struggle tonight,'' he said.

"We weren't at our best, certainly in the first half. Our passing was not slick enough.

"We lapsed in concentration and we just can't afford to keep doing it - not at this level.''

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Tomic snares first title in Sydney

Hot streak ... Tomic continued his golden start to 2013 at the Sydney International. Source: Tracey Nearmy / AAP

A rejuvenated Bernard Tomic captured his first ATP title with a gutsy three-set win over South African Kevin Anderson at the Sydney International on Saturday night.

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The rising Australian continued his remarkable transformation as he saw off a stubborn Anderson 6-4 6-7 (7-2) 6-3 at Sydney Olympic Park in his first ATP final.

The win ensures Tomic will climb more than 20 places, possibly as high as No.43, when the Australian Open begins on Monday, reclaiming the Australian No.1 ranking over Marinko Matosevic.

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He is the ninth Australian winner of the Sydney event and first since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and becomes the first 20-year-old to hoist the trophy since Roger Federer in 2002.

The win was Tomic's eighth straight and completed a remarkable Open preparation.

Tomic was honoured to collect his first tour win in front of Australian tennis legend Ken Rosewall and paid tribute to his father and coach John and support team for sticking by him.

"It's an amazing feeling ... It's been a long road and finally I've got one of these trophies,'' Tomic said.

"It took a while but thanks for having me by your side.

"Hopefully this is not the last tournament I can win.''

He shocked world No.1 Novak Djokovic, Tommy Haas (20) and Andreas Seppi (22) at the Hopman Cup in Perth, before beating higher-ranked players Matosevic (47) Florian Mayer (26), Seppi and Anderson (36) in Sydney.

As had been the case all week, Tomic showed little signs of nerves as he began strongly against big-serving Anderson.

Tomic broke the towering South African's serve in the second game, racing to a 3-0 lead, and served well at crucial times to seal the first set in just 27 minutes.

He was made to work much harder in the second set, as Anderson reeled off three consecutive service games without conceding a point.

Tomic kept his cool, defusing a break point trailing 4-3, but Anderson was always in control of the tiebreak, winning it 7-2 to level the scores.

The Australian failed to convert any of three break points in the fourth game of the deciding set by finally converted his seventh of the set when Anderson double faulted to give Tomic a 5-3 lead.

He closed out comfortably and dropped to kiss the blue Sydney court in celebration.

Tomic will begin his Open campaign on Tuesday against Argentina's Leonardo Mayer and could meet Federer if he reaches the third round.

He will head to Melbourne Park with a fresh wave of support and many new admirers following a controversial end to 2012, where he slipped from a career-high ranking of 27 and faced criticism over his attitude and off-court behaviour.

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Video: Pomersbach hits fastest 50

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Fastest fifty ... Pomersbach acknowledges the crowd after notching his 50. Source: Nikki Davis-jones / News Limited

Luke Pomersbach wrote his way into the record books at Blundstone Arena on Saturday night after smashing the fastest half-century of the KFC T20 Big Bash League season.

The Brisbane Heat batsman, who is one of a number of players to have made a successful move between teams for this season's competition, clobbered 82 runs off just 42 balls, guiding his side to a huge win over Hobart Hurricanes.

He reached 50 off just 24 balls, eclipsing the previous best effort this season of 25 balls by Chris Gayle, but still short of the 18-ball effort David Warner hit for New South Wales in 2009-2010.

The win ensured the Heat snuck into the semi-finals, and it once again proved that when Pomersbach is on song, he's one of the most destructive batsmen in the country.

He showed glimpses of that kind of form while playing for Western Australia, but seems to have come into his own at the Heat.

He took apart well-credentialed T20 bowlers such as Ben Laughlin, Doug Bollinger and Jason Krejza during his innings, hitting 13 fours and two sixes in his powerful knock.

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Click on the video at the top of the page to see the biggest hits from Pomersbach's innings, and watch the video below to see Burns's stunning catch!

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The Heat will be sweating on Pomersbach's fitness heading into their semi-final against Melbourne Renegades, as he copped a nasty ball on his foot towards the end of his innings, but it will take a lot to stop this super-blaster from padding up at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

Pomersbach was well-supported by Heat bastman Joe Burns, but Burns's highlights of the night came not with the bat but with a sensational piece of fielding during Hobart's innings.

Travis Birt looked to have added another six to his tally when Burns, fielding on the mid-wicket boundary, raced across the turf and stuck out his left hand just as it was about to cross the rope.

He then displayed some fancy footwork to stop himself falling over the boundary, regaining his balance to pull off one of the catches of the season.

Birt would have been cursing his luck afterwards - it was just a few days ago that he was dismissed by Kane Richardson's amazing diving catch on the boundary at Adelaide Oval.

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Radwanska crushes Cilbulkova in final

Flawless victory ... Agnieszka Radwanska wins the Sydney International in style. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

No woman will head into the Australian Open in better form than Agnieszka Radwanska.

At least on paper, after the Polish world No.4 collected her second straight WTA title in devastating style at the Sydney International.

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A week after winning the title in Auckland, Radwanska lived up to her billing as top seed in Sydney with a 6-0 6-0 demolition of Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova in Friday night's final.

It was a performance certain to put the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova on notice just two days out from the Open.

And it completed a remarkable preparation for the 23-year-old, whose dream start to 2013 has included two titles and nine straight wins without a set dropped.

"It's been an amazing two weeks," Radwanska said.

While world No.15 Cibulkova had proved somewhat of a giant-killer in a surprise run to the final, she proved no match for Radwanska in a ruthless display.

"I didn't expect that (score) at all," a sympathetic Radwanska said.

"She's also a top player I saw her play the whole week, she really had some great wins.

"But this is tennis, this is sport, sometimes things happen like that.

"Of course I feel bad, it was the final and it's always supposed to be a tight, long match.

"She didn't deserve that score, definitely not."

It was Radwanska's 12th career title and a breakthrough grand slam is now firmly in her sights after finishing runner-up to Williams at Wimbledon last year.

"Now wherever I go I always believe that I can win it and I think Melbourne is also that kind of tournament," said Radwanska, who faces Australian qualifier Bojana Bobusic in the opening round.

"I think being top 10, top five already for a couple of years, I think it means that I can also win a grand slam."

While the first set was more competitive than the score suggested, Radwanska constantly frustrated Cibulkova, countering the Slovakian's aggression and power with patience and precision.

The second set seemingly couldn't end soon enough for Cibulkova, with Radwanska racing to victory in just under an hour in the most one-sided women's final in the tournament's history.

Cibulkova was visibly gutted late in the match and apologised for her performance during the on-court presentation.

But she will still take plenty of encouragement from her performance this week after beating second-seeded Angelique Kerber, third seed Sara Errani and 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova en-route to the final.

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Reds take Glory in thriller

Brace ... Jeronimo celebrates after scoring. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Adelaide United import Jeronimo Neumann made the most of a sudden call-up to score twice in a 3-2 victory against Perth Glory at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Neumann came from the bench when Adelaide frontman Bruce Djite limped off after injuring a groin muscle just 80 seconds into the Hindmarsh Stadium fixture.

The second-placed Reds kept pressure on league leaders Central Coast with a win also featuring a stunning Iain Ramsay goal, before two Glory goals in the final four minutes gave Adelaide a fright.

Adelaide trail the Mariners by one point ahead of the pacesetter's away fixture against Melbourne Victory on Saturday.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Central Coast	15	10	3	2	15	33
2	Adelaide	16	10	2	4	8	32
3	Victory	15	8	2	5	0	26
4	Western Sydney	15	7	2	6	4	23
5	Perth	16	5	4	7	1	19
6	Heart	15	5	3	7	-2	18
7	Brisbane	15	5	2	8	0	17
8	Newcastle	15	5	2	8	-9	17
9	Wellington	15	4	4	7	-3	16
10	Sydney	15	4	2	9	-14	14

Neumann's first goal came through good fortune, the second through Dario Vidosic.

The Argentine opened scoring in the 29th minute when Perth defender Scott Jamieson swung a leg in an attempted clearance near the penalty spot.

Jamieson badly miscued, just making enough contact with the ball to plop it over Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic and into Neumann's path for a tap in.

Eight minutes later, Vidosic delivered a calculating through pass to give Neumann a run at goal, and the striker trickled a left-footer past the approaching Vukovic which rolled slowly into the net.

Perth should have equalised two minutes later when three players had scoring shots in a pinball episode.

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Relive all the action at our Match Centre, plus video highlights

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Steven McGarry powered a long range attempt into a side bar, the ball fell to Shane Smeltz who blasted into a Reds defender and the rebound went to Liam Miller, whose shot was saved by Adelaide keeper Eugene Galekovic.

The fifth-placed Glory, winless from their past four games and losing touch with the top four, slipped further behind one minute into the second half when Ramsay netted a cracking one-timer.

A Vidosic corner was cleared by the Glory but the ball fell invitingly towards Ramsay, who sized up from 15 metres and powered a left-footer into the top corner to beat a diving Vukovic.

But Perth scored twice in the dying stages - a contentious 89th minute penalty to Shane Smeltz after he went to ground from slight contact with Reds defender Antony Golec, and a McGarry strike a minute before the final whistle.

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina said Djite's strained groin unsettled his side.

"You get a substitute that early ... we didn't panic, but we were shaky,'' Kosmina said.

"But we got three points against a really difficult team to play against.''

Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson said he was proud of the fight shown by his players, but lamented costly lapses.

"The first half I thought we played really well and to go down 2-0 (at halftime) was disappointing,'' he said.

''... But the pleasing thing or the positives that come out of it were we never stopped playing.''

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Bailey's 'B-team' beat up Sri Lanka

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Debut to remember ... Phillip Hughes belts a hundred against Sri Lanka. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

They may be Australia's "B Team" but George Bailey's men made a mockery of that moniker with a 107-run one-day win over Sri Lanka at the MCG on Friday.

Man of the match Phil Hughes (112) became the first Australian to score a century on ODI debut as Australia clobbered 5-305 before Clint McKay (4-33) helped bowl the Sri Lankans out for 198 with 10 overs to spare.

"It was a really great team effort to stand up on the back of  some criticism from outsiders and from some people who weren't sure  if we were up to it," Bailey said.

"Hopefully we've put those doubts to bed and the next challenge is to do it consistently and go two-nil up."

Hughes said he was flattered to be the first Aussie to score a century on his ODI debut.

Asked how he felt about going to the batting-friendly Adelaide Oval, Hughes grinned: "My confidence is quite high."

Mitchell Starc removed Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga for one and McKay struck a key blow when skipper Mahela Jayawardene was caught at slip for five.

Sri Lanka recovered to reach 2-111 at the 25-over mark but Tillakaratne Dilshan (51) was run out next ball by a direct hit from Usman Khawaja.

In a remarkable double-play of suicidal Sri Lankan running between wickets, cover fieldsman Glenn Maxwell ran out Angelo Mathews (12) and Lahiru Thirimanne (0) in consecutive deliveries in the 30th over as Sri Lanka slumped to 5-128.

Mitchell Johnson (2-43) dismissed Jeevan Mendis (20) caught at mid-off and 35-year-old wicketkeeper Brad Haddin pulled off a diving catch to remove the danger man Dinesh Chandimal for 73 in the following over from McKay.

Johnson also removed Thisara Perera (four) and McKay claimed the last two wickets in successive deliveries.

Despite fears of a very low crowd figure, 27,461 fans attended including several thousand Sri Lankan supporters.

Stand-in skipper Bailey (89 off 79 balls) and Hughes (112 off 129) shared a crucial 140-run stand for Australia's third wicket.

Australia's other top-order debutants Aaron Finch (16) and Khawaja (three) failed to match the crowd-pleasing strokeplay of Hughes who hit 14 fours.

David Hussey made a good fist of trying to slot into the finishing role made famous by his brother Mike with an innings of 60 not out from 34 deliveries.

Australia rested skipper Michael Clarke, opener David Warner and injured vice-captain Shane Watson while veteran Mike Hussey has been dumped after announcing this will be his final international season.

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Re-live the action and check out all the key numbers with Match Centre.

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It was the first time since 1986 Australia have fielded a one-day side with at least three debutants, prompting criticism that it was a "B team".

"To get three figures on debut is a great feeling and one I'll never forget," an elated Hughes, 24, told the Nine Network.

Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene slammed his bowlers' efforts.

"At times we lost the plot. We didn't build pressure enough, a lot of four balls from a couple of our bowlers," he said.

The skipper said wicketkeeper-batsman Chandimal had suffered a hamstring injury and his fitness would be assessed on Saturday.

"Hopefully it's not too bad. Luckily we have another reserve wicketkeeper (uncapped 22-year-old Kushal Perera)," he said.

It's another cruel blow for the injury-hit tourists who already have wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene (fractured thumb) and star batsman and back-up gloveman Kumar Sangakkara (broken finger) on the sidelines.

The second match in the five-game series is on Sunday in Adelaide.

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Inter claim Balotelli option

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Dibs ... Inter Milan expect first pick should Mario Balotelli leave Manchester City. Source: Sharon Latham / AAP

Inter Milan have stated that if Mario Balotelli leaves Manchester City, they have first option to take him back to the San Siro.

Balotelli's future is far from certain with many reports claiming that a move to Italy could happen this month.

Inter have been linked with a bid to take him back to the club, but city rivals AC Milan are regarded as favourites whilst Italian champions Juventus are also believed to have an interest.

But Inter believe they are in pole position as they have first refusal on the player.

"The first refusal right exists," sporting director Piero Ausilio told Italian magazine Panorama.

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Will Super Mario stay at Manchester City?

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"We will decide whether to exercise it or not at a time when City decides to sell."

Asked how Balotelli would fit into the side, he added: "Technically, Balotelli can fit alongside any striker."

It is understood the clause was inserted by Inter when they sold Balotelli to Manchester City in August 2010.

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11679/8389863/Mario-Balotelli-s-former-club-Inter-Milan-say-they-have-first-option-on-Man-City-star

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Aussies rate themselves: Sinfield

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Golden Boot controversy ... Kevin Sinfield hits out at his critics. Source:AAP

Even Kevin Sinfield was surprised to win rugby league's unofficial prize for the world's best player - the Golden Boot.

However, the Leeds champion dismissed his Australian critics who believe NRL stars Melbourne's Cameron Smith and Canterbury's Dally M Medallist Ben Barba were better placed to win the award, with Sinfield claiming Aussies "rate themselves very highly''.

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Sinfield, 32, looked set to go a long way to silencing the cynics when he led English Super League champions Leeds out against a star-studded Melbourne Storm in the upcoming World Club Challenge.

But the backlash over the England captain ousting the stars of the NRL does not look like going away soon after the Englishman's response.

"The Australians probably think the NRL competition is far superior to Super League,'' he told BBC Sport.

"Whether they rate me or not I am not sure, but with a lot of the Australians they rate themselves very highly.

"I am not bothered or interested in what they say. If they want to have a crack then they can fire away.''

Sinfield became the fourth Englishman to claim the Golden Boot, and the first since Andy Farrell in 2004.

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International team-mate Sam Burgess defends Sinfield. Read more.

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"I am surprised to win it and I feel very fortunate,'' Sinfield told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"I don't pick the award. Like everything, people have an opinion.

"When do you ever have a 100 per cent winner?''

Back in pre-season training with Leeds, Sinfield will no doubt be looking to get the last laugh in the World Club Challenge (WCC) at home ground Headingley on February 22.

Sinfield led Leeds to a 26-12 triumph over Manly at last year's WCC, sparking a big year for the 10-year Rhinos skipper.

He overcame a head knock to lead the Rhinos to their sixth Super League title in nine years while also collecting the man of the match award.

Sinfield also took Leeds to the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, which they lost to Warrington.

However, eyebrows were raised over Sinfield's international efforts last year, which only featured Tests against France and Wales.

"If people are not happy about it, it is not my problem,'' Sinfield said.

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Video: Richardson on a mission

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Kaner Richardson ... eventually gets the wicket of Shaun Marsh. Source: Simon Cross / News Limited

Kane Richardson has been one of the success stories of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash in 2012/13 and he was the centre of the action again when Johan Botha threw him the ball to try to stop a rampant Shaun Marsh in the 19th over.

While Richardson eventually did the job, dismissing Marsh for 79 but he didn't have it all his own way in an over that had everything.

The bowler got the honours from the first delivery after bowling a rare dot ball during the innings of Marsh.

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But after that the in-form batsman took control - first hitting a boundary through the covers, before teeing off and hitting the third ball of the over over the bowlers head for six.

He followed that up by giving a full toss what it deserved - again dispatching it for four through the covers.

But Richardson had the last laugh when Marsh scooped his beautifully pitched yorker straight to Nathan Lyon at mid off.

Wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt came in to face the last ball of the over, but it wasn't a long stay as Richardson got a yorker to tail back between his legs and skittle him for a globe.

Click on the video at the top to see the all-action over in full!

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