Otago-Auckland Super Smash game ends in tie

What? No super over? No boundary countback? No winner?

Otago and Auckland had to settle for a tie - yes, a tie - in a dramatic Super Smash game at Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday.

The Aces needed 18 to win from the last over and were on the verge of victory.

Will O’Donnell smashed a four and an enormous six off Matt Bacon to swing the equation back in the favour of the home side.

Lockie Ferguson got a lucky edge which rolled all the way to the boundary rope as well.

Auckland ran a leg bye off the penultimate ball to level the score.

That left O’Donnell on strike.

Otago captain Hamish Rutherford brought the field in and hoped for the best.

The batter was not able to get under the ball or squeeze it past Jacob Duffy. He tossed it into Llew Johnson, who removed the bails and the Volts escaped with a tie.

Who knows how important those two competition points will be at the end of the season, but the visitors celebrated as if they had won the game.

The Volts posted 174 for eight, which we can now comfortably say was a par score.

Auckland finished up with exactly the same tally.

In a game as close as this one, both teams took turns on top.

The Volts lost both openers early, but Dean Foxcroft punched his first delivery to long-on for four to ease any feelings of dread, wonderful timing by a player enjoying rich form.

Otago had slumped to 46 for four and desperately needed Foxcroft to have an impact. But he needed support and found some from Johnson, who decided he would take up the challenge and whacked Louis Delport into the Merv Wallace Stand.

Johnson had another lick off Adithya Ashok, but this time did not have the distance.

George Worker did 90% of the work to catch it but dropped it over the rope for six.

Unperturbed, Johnson clobbered Mark Chapman’s first ball into the agapanthus.

Not wanting to be left out, Foxcroft deposited the ball on to the top of the practice nets and a replacement ball had to be found.

He pummelled the substitute one hard and flat for another six. This time Ferguson got the treatment.

Foxcroft lost another ball as he closed in on a seventh T20 half century and second this season.

Johnson missed out on the milestone. He sliced a catch to Cole Briggs on 46 from 27.

He hit five sixes in his knock and teamed up in a damaging 89-run stand.

Foxcroft was caught twice in a row by Robbie O’Donnell and neither counted. The first was off a waist-high no-ball and the second off a free hit.

He got through to 69 before holing out in the last over.

Auckland made a good run at the powerplay.

Worker went cheaply but fellow opener Briggs smoked 24 from 17.

Chapman went after Ben Lockrose’s second over and the Aces were 56 for two.

But that man Foxcroft snuck a delivery past Chapman and bowled him for 25.

He was in the action again when Robbie O’Donnell, perhaps worried about the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern equation, charged Bacon and slapped a catch to Foxcroft.

A shower had just dowsed the ground and that may have prompted the adrenaline surge.

Sean Solia (39) and Ben Horne (23) got out with victory within reach, leaving Will O’Donnell (12) to pull off a late miracle which he nearly managed to do.

OTAGO

H Rutherford c Ashok b Lister 10 (7)

D Phillips lbw b Ferguson 5 (6)

D Foxcroft c Chapman b Ferguson 69 (56)

J Finnie c Horne b Delport 17 (13)

T Parkes b Delport 1 (3)

L Johnson c Briggs b Solia 46 (27)

J Gibson c Worker b Solia 9 (5)

J Duffy run out (Solia) 7 (4)

M Rae not out 1 (1)

Extras (1lb, 6w, 2nb) 9

Total (for 8wkts, 20 overs) 174

Fall: 1-7, 2-24, 3-44, 4-46, 5-135, 6-158, 7-168, 8-174.

Bowling: B Lister 3-0-32-1 (3w, 1nb), L Ferguson 4-0-34-2 (1nb), A Ashok 4-0-34-0 (1w), S Solia 4-0-28-2 (1w), L Delport 4-0-31-2 (1w), M Chapman 1-0-14-0.