Otago focused on goal of home final Super Smash
The standings
A HOME final or bust?
Both are possibilities, only one is an option as far as the Volts are concerned.
Otago (20 points) was tucked nicely into second place following its epic Super Smash win against Central Districts in Dunedin on Sunday.
Canterbury (20 points) occupied top spot courtesy of a superior net run rate.
The teams play each other in Christchurch today and in Dunedin on Monday, and there is a lot to play for.
A home final is up for grabs, but both sides could still slip out of the topthree play offs.
Northern Districts (18 points) and Central Districts (18 points) were scheduled to play in Hamilton last night.
The winner will have moved to 22 points and locked in a spot in the playoffs, the loser will be eliminated.
Wellington (16 points) hosts Auckland (12 points) tomorrow. Should the Firebirds win, they can still make the playoffs on net run rate if either Otago or Canterbury lose both their remaining games.
If Otago and Canterbury win one apiece, both teams will progress and the team with the best net run rate will host the final on February 11.
The Volts are missing Black Caps trio Jacob Duffy, Michael Rippon and Glenn Phillips for today’s game, but they will be available for selection for Monday’s fixture.
P W L Tied NR A Pts NRR Canterbury 8 5 3 0 0 0 20 0.44 Otago 8 4 2 1 1 0 20 0.05 ND 93 3 0 1 2 18 0.25 CD 9 4 4 0 0 1 18 0.16 Wellington 9 3 4 0 0 2 16 0.31 Auckland 9 2 5 1 01120.81 *CD and ND were scheduled to play in Hamilton last night.
Matt Bacon has stepped up in Duffy’s absence and had some success bowling at the death. Michael Rae has nabbed 14 wickets at a strike rate 8.50.
Dean Foxcroft has been a revelation with ball and a matchwinner with the bat.
He has scored 336 runs at an average of 56 and has featured in several critical partnerships, including the unbroken 81run stand with Ben Lockrose on Sunday.
The South Africanborn 24yearold has easily been the best player in the competition, and New Zealand cricket fans will wait anxiously to see if his bid to move from a qualifying player to a local player this year is successful.
He has certainly been critical to Otago’s batting effort. Llew Johnson (127 at 21.16) and Hamish Rutherford (105 at 15.00) are the only other Volts’ players who have lifted their campaign tally above 100.
The batting has looked frail at times, but the Volts have impressed with the ball. Rae, Bacon and Foxcroft have led the way, while Travis Muller shone in his first T20 outing for the season with three for 33 against the Stags.
Lockrose’s last outing was pretty much the perfect match for him. He was robbed a wicket but bowled a miserly four over spell and thumped a matchwinning 58 from 26 balls.
It was the kind of performance which gets noticed further north where the selection decisions are made.
Canterbury pair Chad Bowes (282 at 47) and Leo Carter (237 at 59.25) have been in dynamic form. Bowes has score three half centuries and has a fine T20 record against Otago.
He has notched 411 runs in 12 innings, so Otago will need to be smart about how it bowls to the opener.
Zak Foulkes and Will O’Rourke have 10 wickets apiece and are among the leading wickettakers in the competition.
Canterbury is also on a fourgame winning streak in the format, but has not played Otago yet.