Play nzherald.co.nz's rugby Pick the Score competition - go to: pickthescore.nzherald.co.nz
KEY POINTS:
Otago earned themselves a home final in the national Twenty20 competition when they walloped Auckland by 42 runs at Eden Park yesterday.
Auckland's heavy defeat and Canterbury's win over Central Districts at Palmerston North mean it will be an all-South Island final in Dunedin next Sunday.
Craig Cumming, who came to the wicket with Otago 22 for two, scored 76 as the visitors reached 163 for eight after being asked to bat first.
It seemed a gettable total on the outer oval but any thoughts of that were extinguished when Auckland had lost three wickets for three runs midway through their second over.
They never recovered and long before they limped to 121 for seven in their 20 overs, with Steven Croft's patient 55 the main contribution, it was Canterbury's chase for the win and an improved net run rate that interested Aucklanders.
Otago fully deserved their crushing win. On a pitch with some variable bounce, Cumming's innings was a masterpiece of controlled aggression and good shot selection.
He hit six fours and five sixes, needing only 46 balls for his 76.
Earlier Brendon McCullum, on the ground where he hit a huge one-day century a year ago, seemed torn between his unconventional shots and a more restrained approach as he reached 26 before holing out to midwicket from off-spinner Roneel Hira.
Ian Butler smote a huge six over the grandstand in his 17 not out but Cumming dominated proceedings.
With off-spinner Rob Nicol unavailable, Auckland seemed a bowler short. Azhar Abbas was tidy but Scott Styris conceded 37 runs off three overs.
In contrast the Otago attack were made to look demonic.
Colin de Grandhomme had his stumps rearranged by Neil Wagner in the first over and in the next Mathew Harvie persuaded Richard Jones to chip a catch to short fine leg and accepted a simple caught and bowled from Styris.
Black Cap Martin Guptill watched a couple of deliveries from Dimitri Mascarenhas go for four wides but then mistimed an attacking shot.
Big-hitting Luke Vivian dispatched one ball into the service station across Sandringham Rd but then was bowled by Nathan McCullum.
Harvie finished with two for 15 off three overs, while Butler and Mascarenhas also had two.
