Thatโs all we have for you from this live coverage between Otago Volts and Northern Brave.
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Karthik Raj who, along with scorer/analyst Bishal Mandal brought all the actions of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. CHEERS!
Katene Clarke (Player of the Match): "(Feeling about the century) Taken a little bit of time to sink in. We always talked about taking wickets. Everyone talks about taking wickets in the Powerplay in interviews, the importance of it showed here."
Katene Clarke has been named as the 'Player of the Match'.
12:12 PM IST & 7:42 PM Local Time| Northern Brave put on a clinical performance, excelling in all departments to claim a commanding 8-run victory over the Otago Volts. The Volts fell short, suffering their second defeat of the season!
Earlier in the day, it was absolute carnage from the two opening batters of the Northern Brave. The openers put on a masterclass with the bat after being asked to bat first on a batting paradise at Dunedin.
Both batters showcased incredible composure and skill, treating every delivery on its merit. Katene Clarke was the standout performer of the innings, smashing his way to a maiden Super Smash century. His brilliant knock of 106 was laced with 7 boundaries and 8 towering sixes, setting the crowd at Dunedin alight. His partner, Joe Carter, was equally impressive, anchoring the innings with a sublime knock of 83 off just 49 deliveries.
The Northern Brave finished their innings on a high, posting a commanding total of 212/2 in their 20 overs. Despite the fireworks from the openers, the Otago Volts deserve credit for pulling things back in the death overs.
Both the wickets fell courtesy of a run-out. So the target for the Otago Volts was 213 runs! The Otago Volts had a shaky start to their chase of 213 runs. Dale Phillips and Glenn Phillips both fell cheaply within the powerplay. With the Brave bowlers on top, the Volts found themselves in desperate need of a stabilizing partnership to reignite their hopes in the chase.
Leo Carter and Max Chu fought valiantly for the Otago Volts, building a crucial 74-run partnership for the fifth wicket to keep their hopes alive in the chase. It was the experienced Neil Wagner who broke the stand, providing a key breakthrough for the Northern Brave and swinging the momentum back in their favor. Both the set batters were dismissed in quick succession and the Volts fell apart in the run chase.
With 28 runs needed off the final over, Luke Georgeson gave the Otago Volts a glimmer of hope by smashing three consecutive boundaries. It was a valiant effort from Georgeson, but the Brave's bowlers held their nerve in the end sealing a 8-run victory. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!
OVER 20
Otago
204/8
Jacob Duffy
1(1)
Andrew Hazeldine
12(5)
Matthew Fisher
2-42(4.0)
19.6 M Fisher to A Hazeldine
1 NORTHERN DISTRICTS WIN BY 8 RUNS! Full outside-off, Hazeldine hacks it to short extra-cover as just a single is possible. Good effort from Otago Volts but they have just fallen short in the end.
Just a single! Matthew Fisher just needs to bowl a legal delivery now. 10 runs required off the last ball.
19.5 M Fisher to J Duffy
1 MATCH DONE FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES! Yorker outside-off, Duffy drives it to deep point for a single.