Super Smash | Anurag Verma’s superb penultimate over in vain as Chu and McKenzie take Otago over the line

It was a riveting Super Smash 2021-22 encounter at the University Oval in Dunedin between the Northern Knights and home side Otago Volts as the latter emerged victorious in the last over with only three wickets to spare. 

Max Chu, the wicket-keeper batter and Angus McKenzie, a bowler who came to bat at number nine turned out to be the heroes even as experienced Neil Broom made a sincere effort with the bat, but was before finishing the job. 

It was Chu and McKenzie who kept their nerves and hit Scott Kuggeleijn, one of the most sought after T20 bowlers for two sixes in the last over when Volts required 10 to win off six balls. 

However, before that fateful over, Anurag Verma, the tall and slim fast bowler from Hamilton nearly won the Knights this game with his brilliant 19th over in which he gave only four runs and took key wickets of Michael Rippon and well-settled Broom, who was batting on 62 and looking to get his team over the line. 

In the previous over (18th) too, only four runs were conceded by Matthew Fisher and the wicket Llew Johnson was also taken to build the pressure on the Volts. 

The Volts didn’t really have a good start to the chase as they lost Hamish Rutherford and Josh Finnie early on. It was then that Anaru Kitchen got together with Broom and the duo added 45 for the third wicket. 

Though Kitchen departed, Broom continued to anchor the innings and found support in Llew Johnson. The pair added 46th for the fifth wicket as Broom also completed his fifty on the way. 

For Knights, apart from Verma’s two wickets, Fisher and Frederick Walker picked two each as well. Among these three bowlers, they conceded only 66 runs in their 12 overs while defending 146. However, Kugglein was the most expensive, giving away 51 runs in just 3.4 overs. 

Earlier in the day, Otago won the toss and asked Knights to bat first. Katene Clarke and Tim Seifert gave the team a rocking start, reaching 39 in the first four overs before Seifert was eventually removed. 

From there on it became difficult for Clarke to find support even though Henry Cooper made run a ball 24. Both of them getting out together didn’t help the cause of the team from the north. From 95-2, they were suddenly 95-4 with two completely new men at the crease. 

If it wasn’t for Verma and Kugglein’s run a ball 22 and 14 respectively, even reaching 146 would have been difficult for the Knights as they were reduced to 104-6 in the 14th over. 

For Otago, Josh Finnie and Michael Rippon picked two wickets each while Kitchen was economical to the core, giving away only 19 runs in his four overs and taking the wicket of Jeet Raval. 

This was Otago’s first win in the competition having lost one game and one match being washed out. For Knights, they are still to register a win as they have lost one game and one match has been washed out.