Rance’s NZ ‘ball of the century’
As some breathless commentators labelled Mitchell Starc’s thunderbolt the ‘ball of the century’, New Zealand’s domestic cricket competition produced a worthy rival at sun-drenched Saxton Oval.
Central Stags swing king Seth Rance’s vicious inswinger left Canterbury Kings opener Michael Pollard in a terrible tangle in the Twenty20 Super Smash game in Nelson on Sunday.
Not long before Starc hit a pitch chasm and left England’s James Vince in a world of confusion, Rance did all the work in the air with the white Kookaburra.
His full delivery enticed Pollard, who’d already cleared the rope twice in his knock of 20 off 10 balls, into an ambitious drive before it swerved around a corner and cannoned into middle and leg stump.
Much like Vince, Pollard didn’t get near it and threw his head back in anguish as Rance celebrated the perfect delivery.
Rance, who made his Black Caps oneday international debut in Ireland in May, showed the art of swing bowling remains alive in New Zealand where even the top swingmen Tim Southee and Trent Boult struggled to hoop it around consistently this summer.
Rance ended with 2-37 off four overs on a day where bat dominated ball, as the Stags posted 213-5 and beat the Kings by eight runs for their first win of the season.
The Super Smash resumes today when defending champions the Wellington Firebirds host the Knights at the Basin Reserve at 4pm.
After their Dunedin washout on Sunday the Firebirds are the only side not to lose in their first two matches.
The Knights are coming off a sevenrun win over Auckland, boosted by wicketkeeper Tim Seifert’s New Zealand T20 record 40-ball century.