ND give Stags a super smashing
NEVER change a winning team. How about a winning formula?
That seemed to go OK for the Northern Knights as they claimed the Super Smash Twenty20 title by nine wickets over the Central Stags.
The Knights earned the home final by finishing top of the roundrobin with the best record of the six domestic associations. That was regularly achieved by using veteran allrounder Anton Devcich opening the bowling.
Yesterday in Hamilton, captain Dean Brownlie opted to use seam and pace and keep his spin weapons up his sleeve. It worked a treat as the Stags were never in the hunt.
The hosts at Seddon Park dictated terms after the visitors won the toss and opted to bat first, with the Stags managing only to limp to 99-8 off their 20 overs. Victory came with 11.1 overs to spare, handing Northern Districts $80,000 prizemoney while Central Districts, runners-up last season also, took $20,000 for second place.
‘‘We thought it might swing at the top, which it did,’’ Brownlie said. ‘‘I think it proved quite difficult for the CD players.’’
Brent Arnel, Scott Kuggeleijn and Chris Jordan bowled excellent line and length to put the Stags’ top-order under pressure.
No player would have added to the crowd numbers more than Jess Ryder, but the former Black Cap lasted only three balls; falling to a smart leg-side boundary trap off Arnel.
Kuggeleijn’s pace brought him two wickets and it took CD 17 balls to find the boundary.
That set the scene for Northern’s spin duo of Ish Sodhi – the top-ranked Twenty20 bowler in the world – and Devcich. The exBlack Cap had starred throughout the competition with 12 wickets at 18.91 at 6.67 runs per over and his final performance mirrored that of his round-robin exploits by taking 3-16 off his four overs.
Sodhi also produced a masterclass that matched his billing, capturing 2-15 off his four overs as the Stags sank further into the mire.
The Knights backed up their bowlers with a stellar fielding display, highlighted by a stunning leap and grab by Brownlie off Devcich’s bowling to remove George Worker.
The occasional Black Caps lefthander got to 37 off 33 balls and remarkably struck four of the five boundaries in Central’s 20 overs with the bat.
‘‘Things went our way – Jesse hit one out to the boundary which was a handy bonus – then obviously the spinners could come on after the sixth [over] and really make it tough for them,’’ Brownlie said.
‘‘You have plans, and a lot of the time it doesn’t work, and today was one of those days where everything worked out.’’
The Knights had tallied six boundaries before the third over had finished as openers Tim PHOTOSPORT Seifert (23 off 12 balls) and Devcich (51 not out off 24) got them off to a quick start. No 3 Brownlie (28no) soon featured, taking five fours in a scintillating strokemaking display off one over from Blair Tickner.
Not to be undone, Devcich then went one better as he struck a four off every ball of the next over bowled by left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel.
It was the second domestic Twenty20 crown in Northern’s history, and an instant triumph for new Knights T20 coach Gareth Hopkins. The former wicketkeeper-batsman was given the job in a specialist role this season – with incumbent James Pamment retained for the one-day and first-class competitions, before recently accepting a fielding coach job with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Central Stags 99-8 (G Worker 37 off 33 balls; A Devcich 3-16 off 4 overs, I Sodhi 2-15 off 4, S Kuggeleijn 2-24 off 3) lost to Northern Knights 103-1 (Devcich 51 not out off 24 balls, D Brownlie 28 off 17 balls) by nine wickets.