Wellington have done the double over Canterbury in their first Dream11 Super Smash doubleheader at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The Blaze got the day underway with a strong performance under pressure in yet another tight affair with the Magicians.
The much-anticipated rematch of last season’s women’s Super Smash Grand Final delivered in spades with the Blaze ending up winning a thrilling contest in the last over.
Sophie Devine won the toss for the Blaze and sent the Canterbury Magicians in on a Hagley Oval track basking in sun.
The opening pair of Frankie Mackay and Kirsty Nation got the Magicians off to a safe start, although scoring wasn’t easy against the accurate Blaze bowling unit.
When Devine removed Mackay with the score at 48, Nat Cox came in and immediately looked to up the tempo.
The momentum was short-lived and when Deanna Doughty snared three wickets in an over the Magicians were slumping at 84-5 in the 15th over.
A fast finish lead by Jacinta Savage pushed the total up to 137-6 and the Magicians were in the contest.
With a deep batting lineup to get through, the Magicians were searching for early wickets. They weren’t forthcoming with the experienced combo of Devine and Rachel Priest scoring freely.
Three wickets in five overs pegged back the Blaze as Amelia Kerr came to the wicket in the 11th over.
The Blaze appeared to be cruising until a hat-trick by Gabby Sullivan brought the home crowd roaring to life and the game into the balance.
Needing 20 to win off the final two overs, Kerr stepped up with three crucial boundaries to finish on 47* off 32 and get the Blaze home.
In the second match of the day the Wellington Firebirds opened their season with a win, coasting past the Canterbury Kings by six wickets.
The Kings started well after opting to bat with the pairing of Chad Bowes and Jack Boyle solid through the opening four overs.
Ollie Newton snared the first breakthrough for the visitors, having Bowes caught behind for 14. Boyle continued on, finding some fluency and lifting the run rate towards eight. But when he fell in the 11th over it was the start of a slide that saw the Kings stalled at 105-8.
Jeetan Patel was particularly masterful through the middle overs with 3-16 off his four. When he dismissed Boyle via an excellent catch by Logan van Beek, Jeets had another milestone to celebrate in the penultimate match of his stellar career. It was his 500th wicket for Wellington across formats.
All six bowlers used by the Firebirds took a wicket and the Kings were bowled out for just 129 in the final over.
Defending a below-par total, the Kings needed early breakthroughs and they got one almost immediately. Ed Nuttall had the dangerous Devon Conway caught at slip for a duck in the first over, lifting the hopes of the home side.
Classy young allrounder Rachin Ravindra provided an immediate counterattack for the Firebirds with a series of crisply timed boundaries. Michael Pollard was also looking dangerous, advancing to 27 at a good clip before being bowled by Cole McConchie with the score at 64.
McConchie bowled Ravindra (38 off 27) shortly afterwards to bring two new batsman to the crease.
However, the equation wasn’t difficult with the Firebirds needing less than a run a ball with seven wickets in hand.
Jimmy Neesham came and went to the bowling of McConchie who finished an excellent spell with 3-18.
From there, the Firebirds opted to knock the ball around and keep risks to a minimum. Never facing any real scoreboard pressure, the Firebirds eased home with eight balls to spare.
Article added: Monday 16 December 2019