CLT20 Match 8: Otago Volts vs Perth Scorchers - Heroes of the day

Massacre – that sums up the thrilling clash between the Otago Volts and the Perth Scorchers at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur today.

After last night’s heart-stopping humdingers, it was the turn of the batsmen to take centrestage, and the New Zealand side delivered a powerful shock to the struggling Australian squad – a shock that left the Scorchers demoralized.

Both sides lost quick wickets early into their respective innings, but while one recovered well, the other struggled hard to keep up with an ever increasing rate. Chasing a daunting target of 243, the Perth team could only muster 180/6, going down by 62 runs.

Here are the Heroes of the day:

Neil Broom (Batsman, Otago Volts) – (117* off 56 balls – 9 fours, 8 sixes; 2 catches)

He has been out of the Black Caps squad for far too long, and today Neil Broom reminded the national selectors that he was still ready to compete at the highest level.

Broom started off slowly, steadying the boat after the Scorchers rocked his side early with the wickets of Hamish Rutherford and Brendon McCullum. With Derek de Boorder for company, the No. 3 batsman focused on stemming the rot, mixing caution with aggression and keeping the scorecard ticking.

After the wicket-keeper fell, Broom stepped up his attack after the half-way mark, unleashing a display of power-hitting that was just as artistic as it was lethal. With Dutch maverick Ryan ten Doeschate also joining the party, the Kiwi batsman plundered runs almost at will, reaching his maiden T20 century and the first of this year’s Champions League in just 51 balls.

Twin catches in the field to dismiss Ashton Turner and Tom Triffitt capped a fine day for Broom. Magnificent performance!

Ryan ten Doeschate (All-rounder, Otago Volts) – (66 off 26 balls- 3 fours, 6 sixes)

His IPL team failed to defend their title this year, but the Dutch journeyman made his presence felt as he went hammer and tongs at the Scorchers’ bowlers after coming in at the fall of de Boorder’s wicket.

Because he hails from the Netherlands, a country not particularly enthused about cricket until recently, ten Doeschate’s hitting prowess is grossly underestimated. Seamers Joel Paris and Jason Behrendorff found that to their cost; the latter, in particular, bled runs freely as Tendo launched a vicious all-out assault on him, clearing the stands with ridiculous ease.

His swashbuckling cameo provided the thrust that the innings required, and his buccaneering came to an end towards the end of the 18th over, but Ryan had done enough to ensure his side ended up with a massive total that put victory beyond the opposition’s reach. A brilliant exhibition of power-packed cricket!

Ian Butler (Pacer, Otago Volts) – (3/47 in 4 overs; 1 run out)

Butler also jolted the Scorchers with his searing pace and disconcerting bounce as he quickly knocked over the openers, despite Ashton Agar belting him for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries. Towards the latter part of the innings, he did go for a few runs as Cartwright, first in the company of Adam Voges and later with Ashton Turner and Tom Triffitt, took him to the cleaners.

Nevertheless, the speedster managed to grab three wickets and also effected the run-out of rival skipper Simon Katich. A good day in the office for the young man!

Hilton Cartwright (Batsman, Perth Scorchers) – (69* off 53 balls – 6 fours, 2 sixes)

He knew the target was something beyond his side’s reach, given the fact that key players Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Coulter-Nile were missing from the line-up, but Hilton Cartwright wasn’t ready to give in yet.

Joining the experienced Adam Voges in the middle sooner than he would have liked, Cartwright played a remarkable innings, pushing the ones and twos while also finding the fence on six occasions. He even stepped out to deposit off-spinner Nathan McCullum over mid-wicket for a maximum, and repeated the same shot against Neil Wagner as well.

With Ashton Turner and Tom Triffitt, Cartwright put together two more half-century stands, eventually finishing on an unbeaten 69 – a fine innings, but too late to pose any real threat to the Volts.