Otago Volts has not been defeated for 16 Twenty20 matches. On Sunday, we learnt why.
Having already taken its Group A contest against Highveld Lions into a Super Over after being in a troubled position, Otago faced an imminent defeat when the opposition required four from four balls for victory.
However, James Neesham bowled full and wide to rework the equation to two off the final delivery.
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But Lions could only run one and Otago triumphed on the basis of scoring one more boundary. While the South Africans have now exited the tournament, Brendon McCullum’s men are on the brink of securing qualification.
Rescue act
Before his Super Over heroics, Neesham had already rescued his side from a likely defeat. In the last five overs, Otago required 65 to win with only four wickets remaining. Neesham, though, turned the tables through a 25-ball 52.
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In the final over, 11 off six balls was reduced to five off five by the all-rounder’s six over square leg off Sohail Tanvir.
However, the Pakistani varied his pace superbly to bring the eliminator into play.
de Kock’s sublime century
Spare a thought for Quinton de Kock, though. The baby-faced wicketkeeper hit a sublime hundred earlier in the day and followed it up with a six and a four off the first two deliveries in the Super Over, but it was not enough to win this match.
de Kock dispatched numerous short deliveries to the on-side boundary, moving from 42 in 36 balls to his hundred off 60 deliveries.
The last six overs brought 83 runs to take the South Africans to a highly competitive total.
Scoreboard
Highveld Lions: Rassie van der Dussen lbw b McMillan 17 (24b, 1x6), Quinton de Kock (not out) 109 (63b, 10x4, 5x6), Temba Bavuma st. de Boorder b Beard 13 (15b, 1x4), Alviro Petersen lbw b Beard 0 (1b), Jean Symes c de Boorder b Wagner 20 (15b, 1x6), Dwaine Pretorius (not out) 2 (3b), Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-2) 6; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 167.
Fall of wickets: 1-44 (van der Dussen), 2-73 (Bavuma), 3-73 (Petersen), 4-149 (Symes).
Otago Volts bowling: Ian Butler 3-0-27-0, James McMillan 4-0-23-1, Neil Wagner 3-0-25-1, James Neesham 3-0-28-0, Nathan McCullum 4-0-31-0, Nicholas Beard 3-0-31-2.
Otago Volts: Neil Broom c Viljoen b O’Reilly 6 (8b, 1x4), Hamish Rutherford c de Kock b Tahir 32 (21b, 3x4, 2x6), Brendon McCullum c Tanvir b Tsotsobe 5 (5b, 1x4), Derek de Boorder c Bavuma b Tahir 32 (37b, 4x4), Ryan ten Doeschate c Petersen b Tsotsobe 9 (8b, 1x4), James Neesham (not out) 52 (25b, 2x4, 4x6), Nathan McCullum c Petersen b Viljoen 0 (4b), Ian Butler b Tanvir 9 (8b, 1x6), Neil Wagner (not out) 5 (6b), Extras (b-1, lb-10, w-4, nb-2) 17; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 167.
Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Broom), 2-27 (Brendon McCullum), 3-78 (Rutherford), 4-97 (ten Doeschate), 5-101 (de Boorder), 6-103 (Nathan McCullum), 7-136 (Butler).
Highveld Lions bowling: Sohail Tanvir 4-0-35-1, Ethan O’Reilly 4-0-40-1, Lonwabo Tsotsobe 4-0-30-2, Hardus Viljoen 4-0-23-1, Imran Tahir 4-0-28-2.
SUPER OVER
Otago Volts: James Neesham (not out) 6 (3b, 1x4), Brendon McCullum (not out) 7 (3b, 1x6), Extras (1b) 1; Total (for no loss in one over): 13.
Highveld Lions bowling: Sohail Tanvir 1-0-12-0.
Highveld Lions: Quinton de Kock (not out) 12 (4b, 1x4, 1x6), Jean Symes c Brendon McCullum b Neesham 0 (1b), Dwaine Pretorius (run out) 1 (1b); Total (all out in one over): 13.
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Symes), 2-13 (Pretorius).
Otago Volts bowling: James Neesham 1-0-13-1.
Otago won on the basis of scoring one more boundary.
Man-of-the-match: J. Neesham.