The real hero for Wellington wasn't found among the bowling staff, though. Pollard picked the perfect time to compile his highest T20 score, anchoring the Firebirds' innings and smashing six sixes in a 56-ball knock.
The 25-year-old was a steady presence as early wickets fell around him, finding assistance in the Wellington middle order and combining with James Franklin (31 off 17) and Grant Elliott (40no off 17) to decide the match.
Pollard and Franklin enjoyed a 79-run stand from 42 balls for the fourth wicket, with the pair taking 39 from a couple of loose overs from Tarun Nethula and Colin de Grandhomme. Both batsmen fell in quick succession and provided Auckland with a chance to clamp on the brakes, but that chance was squandered as Elliott closed out the innings to put his side in control.
Auckland looked up to the challenge in the early overs, storming to 48-1 after five and 86-2 after 10. The Aces needed to go at 10 an over for the remainder of the innings and, with a middle order stacked with big hitters, that task seemed within their capabilities.
But Elliott completed a fine all-round match by claiming the crucial wickets of Craig Cachopa (37 off 35) and Colin Munro (34 off 23), and that slump became even worse when de Grandhomme and Donovan Grobbelaar fell cheaply in consecutive balls.
Auckland still had a chance with five overs to play, needing 53 with four wickets in hand, and a late flurry from Michael Bates provided further hope. But that hope was extinguished when Bates holed out on the final ball of the penultimate over.
