Leo, Virgo clash to seal final spot against Gemini

Gemini Arabians have undoubtedly been the team to beat since the onset of the inaugural Masters Champions League. They still have remained the one to beat - cruising through to the finals of the competition after ousting the Sagittarius Strikers in a run fest at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, awaiting the winners of the second semifinal between Virgo Super Kings and the Leo Lions on Friday (February 12).

Little separates Virgo and Leo who have both won three of the five games in the league stages. Another common factor between both sides is the economical nature of their slower bowlers. While Scott Styris, Leo's stand-in captain in the absence of Brian Lara, has only conceded 4.87 runs an over in five outings, Murali Kartik, Jacob Oram and Johan Botha make four of the top five most economical bowlers of the season. With the wicket assisting slower bowlers, the contest will be an even one with all four coming into play.

Leo have chopped and changed their top order along the way, but yet have found ways of winning post Lara's exit, owing mainly to Styris himself and Johan Botha. Botha has been at the forefront of Leo's campaign, coming up the order, opening, batting at No.8, coming in as the first change bowler, picking up vital wickets and consistently chipping in with the bat.

"We've changed the batting order in every game," said Styris ahead of the semifinal. "Probably arriving at a settled order is something we need to work on. The priority was trying and getting to this point, but now all teams, whether unbeaten or having won just two games, are just two games away from winning the trophy. We're just trying to win those two."

That said, without vital contributions from James Franklin after losing the top order, it would've been difficult for Leo to have made those turnarounds. Franklin is Leo's highest run-getter for the tournament with 155 runs in five innings at an average of 51.66.

Although Leo haven't had too many injuries barring Herschelle Gibbs, who also is fit to play the semifinal, Virgo have had their fair share. So much so, in the final group stage match, Murali Kartik and Graeme Smith, two of their mainstay performers, were ruled out with shoulder and groin injuries respectively.

"We had a few injuries going into our last game and it's quite a bit of a turnaround between Sunday and Friday, so we have a few days," Smith said. I expect most of our guys that are hobbling around to be ready to go. I expect to be fit for Friday as well."

Smith's addition will bode well for Virgo along with Neil McKenzie who have been giving the team solid starts. They, however, have failed to capitalise on the starts and get to large totals. Azhar Mahmood and James Foster have chipped in with useful scores down the order, but have largely been unsuccessful in forging any partnerships as the game progresses, which has pegged them back more often than not.

It has seemed like Virgo's strength lies in their bowling; Kartik opening the bowling has worked well for them. Although Brett Lee has gone for runs up front, he has always come back to contain the opposition beautifully in the death overs, picking up wickets and drying out the boundaries.

For Leo, Kyle Jarvis has been fantastic, having picked up seven wickets in three games with one three-wicket over against Sagittarius Strikers. But albeit bowling a couple of good spells around, Fidel Edwards has been pasted in the final few overs going for more than what Leo would have liked. Come the second semifinal, they have their last chance of ironing out their creases and booking a spot in the final to face Gemini for the title.

In terms of the fielding, both teams have been disappointing most times and have missed vital chances. But what makes the clash interesting is that both teams will want to step up on the day and standing at par, it will be the team that holds their nerve in pressure situations that will come out on top. With just a little dew playing a part in the first semifinal, the same conditions can be expected in the second.

Teams:

Virgo Super Kings: Brett Lee, Graeme Smith, Azhar Mahmood, Jonty Rhodes, Neil McKenzie, John Mooney, Dirk Nannes, Owais Shah, James Foster, Mirali Kartik, Malinga Bandara, Gareth Batty, Hasan Raza, Jacob Oram, Humayun Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf

Leo Lions: Heath Streak, Scott Styris, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs, Brendan Taylor, James Franklin. Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, Fidel Edwards, MohammadTauqir, Neil Carter, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Jarvis, Ramesh Pawar, Simon Jones, Darren Gough