Volts snatch unlikely victory
DRAMA, controversy, chaos. And it was a wicketkeeper who played the starring role.
The Volts’ new English import Ben Cox was either a hero or a villain yesterday, depending on what team you support.
The 26yearold gloveman was super slick behind the stumps. He snaffled four catches — three of them when he was up at the sticks — to help the Volts secure the most surprising of Super Smash wins against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.
He combined in a couple of runouts as well, but we will get to one of them later.
What made the result so surprising was Wellington could have hit cruise control and drifted to a win. The home side was 107 for none in 11th over chasing a target of 168.
There is no way the Firebirds lose from that position, except, well, they did.
Christi Viljoen, in all his glorious awkwardness, made a double strike to get rid of the dangerous Michael Bracewell and English import Adam Hose.
Still, the Volts would have held little more than the faintest hint of hope.
Bracewell had played a brutal roll in the chase. He clouted 60 from 29 balls and combined in a stunning opening partnership with the classy Devon Conway.
Conway’s innings of 47 was overshadowed. But he swivelled into a couple of tremendous pull shots and was quick to dispatch width.
A deft and cheeky reverse sweep brought yet another boundary. But with his dismissal, that faint hope started shimmering more brightly.
This is where the controversy comes in. Conway turned for a second but could not beat the throw from Jacob Duffy.
Cox gathered the ball but knocked a bail off with his hip in the process. He completed the runout but Conway was not convinced, perhaps thinking he needed to pull a stump out to effect the runout.
However, the laws of cricket state if one bail is still on the stumps, the fielder is allowed to knock the bail off to claim a runout.
It is a game of millimeters. But even with that bad luck, Wellington was far enough ahead to push on for a comfortable win.
But Viljoen had other ideas. He nicked out the dangerous Jimmy Neesham — and you would have to see that catch to believe it.
It was a slow ball bouncer and Neesham got a healthy edge. Cox, who was up at the stumps, palmed the ball and then grabbed it at his second attempt. Brilliant. No way else to describe it.
Viljoen finished with a careerbest four for 23 and Wellington fell one run short at 166 for nine.
Luke Woodcock, in his 100th twenty20 game, was run out off the last ball when coming back for a second which would have levelled the score.
That was another dismissal you would have to see to believe.
Earlier, Neesham wrenched on the handbrake just as Otago was looking to put a brick on the accelerator.
The allrounder took two crucial wickets in the 15th over to hamstring the Volts’ progress.
A score of 180plus had looked possible but the visitors had to settle for 167 for seven.
Earlier this week Neesham won back his spot back in the Black Caps oneday squad following some impressive batting displays.
Questions remain about his bowling but he provided some answers with a wonderful spell.
He took a careerbest four for 24 and there were a couple of big scalps in the haul. He rolled the ball out of the back of his hand to deceive Neil Broom.
The Otago opener had rushed through to 34 from 27 before getting a leading edge.
Anaru Kitchen (52) and Shawn Hicks (22) had got their side into a position to launch. But that platform was whipped out from underneath when Neesham struck twice.
Kitchen shovelled a slower ball to long on and Hicks got himself out with a scoop shot which went terribly wrong.