Cricket: Auckland make final despite loss

Auckland batsman Colin de Grandhomme admires his shot during an innings of 40 last night. Photo / Getty Images

Otago beat Auckland in dramatic fashion in near darkness at Colin Maiden Park yesterday but the Aucklanders will still play the Twenty20 final at New Plymouth's Pukekura Park on Sunday.

Otago and Auckland finished level after 20 overs with Auckland scoring 171 for nine and Otago exactly matching them.

In the eliminator over to decide the issue Otago, thanks to Brendon and Nathan McCullum, scored 14. Auckland with Colin de Grandhomme, Scott Styris and Martin Guptill could manage only eight.

But because Central Districts beat Northern Districts in a rain-ruined game last night and Auckland had a better net run rate than Otago, they still make the final against CD.

Otago had won the toss and put Auckland in to bat on a perfect summer's evening and before a good crowd.

For a long while it looked like an inspired decision. After five overs the home team were 42 for two with danger men Guptill and Ravi Bopara back in the pavilion.

Enter Ian Butler bowling some brisk medium pace.

He had Styris caught at midwicket for four and then Gareth Hopkins went first ball, caught at slip.

Anaru Kitchen avoided the hat-trick as Otago had the unusual Twenty20 field of two slips to greet him.

But Butler completed only two overs in his spell, left the field and didn't return to bowl again. He later batted with a runner.

Kitchen should have been out with the score at 49 for four when he was dropped off Nathan McCullum at extra cover. But the off-spinner struck a big blow by bowling Lou Vincent for 24 with four fours off 18 balls. Auckland were struggling at the halfway point at 70 for five.

McCullum caught Reece Young off his own bowling and Kitchen and de Grandhomme faced a struggle to build a total.

De Grandhomme hit his first ball for six and they put on 50 off 34 balls. Kitchen was caught at 39 but the fielder was over the boundary and Otago gave de Grandhomme a life dropped at long-on by Neil Wagner of McCullum when he was 21.The over yielded 20 runs including two big sixes.

De Grandhomme was finally dismissed for 40 with three sixes and three fours, while Kitchen hit 54 with four fours and two sixes. The innings ended spectacularly with a towering six from Daryl Tuffey.

Best of the Otago bowlers was Wagner with 3 for 35 off four, Yasir Arafat had 2 for 25 and Nathan McCullum 2 for 43.

Otago struggled in much the same way as Auckland when they batted and they slumped to 96 for six. But then Nathan McCullum belted 61 off 35 balls with three fours and four sixes. He received good support from Warren McSkimming (23) and in the final over they needed 14 to win.

Michael Bates began with a wicket but Nick Beard and Derek de Boorder managed three fours and a single to leave the teams tied. Bates finished with three for 24 and Ronnie Hira with two for 27.

In Hamilton, Ross Taylor continued a superb competition by whacking a six on the fourth-last ball to carry Central Districts to a four-wicket defeat of Northern Districts.

Northern scored 148 for nine and for large chunks of a reduced chase it appeared as if it may be enough to carry the fourth-placed hosts into the final.

Needing an adjusted 95 off 12 overs after rain intervened early in Central's response, wickets fell regularly and it took Taylor's spectacular 28 from 12 balls to win the match.

His six over midwicket was followed by a delighted sprint around the ground, including a few terse words exchanged with some of the home supporters before Taylor was mobbed by his teammates.

Captain James Marshall top-scored with an unbeaten 59 for Northern off 42 balls while impressive Central Districts allrounder Graham Napier claimed three for 33.

In the day's third game, Wellington beat Canterbury by seven runs in Rangiora to round out disappointing campaigns from both teams.

Cameron Merchant's 57 was the key knock in Wellington's 162 for five and an unbeaten 45 off 33 balls to Dean Brownlie couldn't rescue the hosts, who reached 155 for seven and finished last in the competition with just two wins.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA