Sears spears Firebirds to comfortable win At a glance
No Jimmy Neesham, no problem for the reigning champion Wellington Firebirds.
Seamer Ben Sears stepped up in Neesham’s absence with a busted finger, snaffling 4-21 in the Firebirds’ four-wicket Super Smash T20 win against the Otago Volts in Wellington yesterday.
The 22-year-old generated some serious heat off the Basin Reserve deck, at one stage reducing the visitors to 38-4 after 6.1 overs.
Otago, having later sagged to 51-5 in the ninth over, scratched their way to 137-9, but none of their batsmen looked comfortable, with Anaru Kitchen’s 28 the best dig of the innings.
Led by skipper Michael Bracewell’s unbeaten 47, Wellington, despite losing regular wickets, including Jamie Gibson to a beaut of a catch by Nathan Smith, got home with two overs in the bag.
It ensured the competition leaders got back to winning ways, improving to 6-1 and pulling four points clear of the Central Stags, who have played an extra match, and the Canterbury Kings.
Sears certainly looks a talented prospect.
Blessed with height and pace, he regularly troubled the Volts’ top-order, nabbing the allimportant wickets of dangerous openers Hamish Rutherford (10) and Neil Broom (six) with consecutive balls.
He had Rutherford well caught by Jamie Gibson at mid-wicket, before nicking out Broom with a peach.
Meanwhile, it’s fair to say the Otago Sparks will have had a gutful of Sophie Devine.
The Wellington Blaze opener bludgeoned 80 from 44 balls in her team’s 122-run win at the Basin Reserve, her second demolition job of the Otago attack this month.
It followed her world record
108 off 38 against the Sparks in Dunedin less than a fortnight ago, meaning she’s blasted 188 runs off just 82 balls in the two fixtures.
Devine’s latest blitz included seven fours and four sixes, yesterday propelling the Blaze to a whopping 196-5 – their second highest Super Smash total, and fourth highest overall.
Having skittled the Sparks for
74 in response, the win shot the 6-1 competition-leading Blaze six points clear of the second-placed Canterbury Magicians, ensuring the reigning champions will feature in the knockout stage.