Azhar Mahmood produced a remarkable all-round performance to send
Auckland through to the main draw of the Champions League. His unbeaten
55 blazed Auckland's trail to a target his 5 for 24 had ensured was
paltry. Their second victory wrapped up Pool 1, with Hampshire and
Sialkot now unable to qualify.
Despite their schedule in the qualifying tournament lasting two days,
Auckland had spent two weeks in South Africa and their preparations
proved worthwhile as they became the first New Zealand team to make the
main draw of the Champions League.
Mahmood benefitted from bowling and batting at the right time. With the
ball in the first innings, he was able to use a pitch that began a touch
sticky to induce five loose shots, but the surface was more conducive
to clean hitting in the second innings. Mahmood slammed four sixes in
his 31-ball knock and became the fifth player to score fifty and take
five wickets in a Twenty20.
His performance handed Auckland a second victory at a canter. The target
was largely conquered before Mahmood's innings in a Powerplay where
Auckland scored 50 for 1. Hampshire by contrast had limped to 29 for 3
in their first six overs. The difference was that Hampshire bowled too
full. Martin Guptill and Lou Vincent filled their boots; Vincent
disappointed to slap the final ball of the sixth over to extra cover,
and Guptill hung his head after swinging Shahid Afridi to long on, both
following entertaining innings.
But Azhar Mahmood ensured Auckland did not just meander to the target.
He lifted Chris Wood over the leg side for his first six in the eighth
over, and added further maximums with a slog sweep off Afridi and a
heave over long-on and slap over extra cover against Liam Dawson - the
second of which found the swimming pool.
The match was a major anti-climax for Hampshire. In 2010, they announced
a grand deal with Rajasthan to form a global franchise with clubs from
other countries, setting up a travelling circus of money-spinning
tournaments. But all that materialised of that deal was Hampshire
becoming the "Royals," in line with the Indian franchise.
On the back of that deal, Hampshire would have expected to be performing
on a world stage sooner than the 2012 Champions League. This was their
first appearance in the competition but their active participation
lasted just 34.3 overs.
Auckland's comfortable victory against Sialkot presented them with a
chance to confirm their passage into the main draw of the tournament and
they did so with a second chase that was set up by another miserly
display with the ball.
The seamers again enjoyed the surface after Gareth Hopkins had won
another toss. It was slower that Wanderers and at first offered
tennis-ball style bounce. As such, timing was difficult for the batsman.
Clean hitting in the first innings was at a premium and the method of
dismissals demonstrated their struggles.
James Vince managed to time one six into the stands but his second
attempt found mid-on from high on the bat; Jimmy Adams drove loosely
outside off and edged behind; and Shahid Afridi - at No. 4 despite his
very poor recent form - Sean Ervine and Glenn Maxwell all perished to
catches in the deep. The damage was 77 for 5 in the 14th over.
Hampshire's debut rather flashed them by and it took Michael Carberry to
prevent total disaster. Carberry's timing was horrendous for the
majority of his 65-ball innings but he stuck it out and made a
half-century that put something on the board for Hampshire. He took nine
runs off Kyle Mills' opening over - three more than Mills conceded in
four overs against Sialkot - with a gloved hook that went for six
encapsulating the batsmen's struggles on a slightly underprepared
wicket.
Carberry tried to lay a platform but batting didn't get easier. He was
alone though in hanging around and working the bowling to accumulate a
score. Slogging as the entire middle order did was a waste of time.
Carberry managed some acceleration with two boundaries in Andre Adams'
final over and two more as Michael Bates closed the innings.
He fell trying to swing Mahmood over long-on and it was he that profited
most from the errant strokes of much of the Hampshire order, returning 5
for 24 - his best figures in a Twenty20. The wickets of Vince and Adams
came in his first over; four balls of his second were enough to lure
Afridi into a slog. His final over saw Liam Dawson backing away and
slapping to extra cover and Dimitri Mascarenhas carving a full ball to
deep cover point. He could have six-for but spilled a catch running back
from his final delivery.
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