James Neesham emerges hero - Tie in Super Over - Highveld Lions Vs Otago Volts

I have not heard of – Neesham earlier…. ~ and what a match it turned out to be….. for those uninformed like me - James Douglas Sheehan Neesham, 23 years old plays for Otago Volts !.... 

The team from Otago nicknamed Volts is a New Zealand team whose home ground is Dunedin.  They played against  -  Highveld Lions , the name used by the combined Gauteng and North West first class cricket teams in South Africa.

It was a double tie… as the pendulum swung wildly… playing first Lions made 167 for 4 (De Kock 109) tied with Otago 167 for 7 (Neesham 52*, Tahir 2-28).  Who was the hero and how long would he remain one was the Q that remained throughout.  Quinton de Kock  made a great hundred and took the score to 167…. For long it appeared that with wickets tumbling the Kiwi team may not be able to reach it…. Volts had been on a roll winning 14 consecutive matches and will it be 15 ???  

At the end of over 15 – Otago needed 65 off 30 balls.. tough indeed and at the start of 17^th they were 118 for 6 – 50 off 24. Experienced Tsotsobe went for  18 with a six and two fours and Neesham was showing glimpses of class with 27 off just 14.   Sohail Tanvir deceived Butler with a slower one off the first ball – still went for 12 runs as 20 were required off the last two.  Viljoen was hit for a 6 still gave only 9 and it boiled to 11 runs off the last six.   Off the last over, Neesham hit a low full toss of Sohail Tanvir over long on for a 6 and it was 5 off 5.  Then it was –0-1-0-2- with 2 required off the last – it was de Kock’s turn to fumble…. He tried to stand up to the wicket but was sent by Tanvir and still could not gather cleanly – allowing that golden run.

So a Tie and Super Over……  Otago had to bat first – they nominated Brendon McCullum, Jimmy Neesham and Hamish Rutherford not Ryan ten Doeschate.  Sohail Tanvir bowled again.

The first ball was hit by Neesham through covers for a 4; a single of 2^nd; third was a dot ball; 4^th was a bye; 5^th also yielded a solitary run – Brendon danced down and hoisted Tanvir over long on for a six and the target was 14.

In both innings of the one over per side eliminator, the fielding side shall choose from which end to bowl. The first ball was an identical 4 over cover by de Kock. 2^nd swung over deep square for a six – 14 needed and you had 10 off 2…. What else could be result one wondered.  3^rd was a single getting closer…. 4^th Symes slogged – mishit went high and Brendon scooped it easily. 5^th was a single.  D Pretorius was on strike – they ran one, tried a non-existent second and Pretorius was run out.

Scores tied again.. in the Super Over too…. And by the rule – Volts won for having scored more boundaries over all. 

The playing conditions stipulate that only nominated players in the main match may participate in the one over per side eliminator. Each team’s over is played with the same fielding restrictions as apply for the last over in a normal T20  match.The team batting second in the match will bat first in the one over eliminator. The fielding captain or his nominee shall select the ball with which he wishes to bowl his over in the one over per side eliminator from the box of spare balls provided by the umpires. Such box to include the balls used in the main match, but no new balls. The loss of two wickets in the over ends the team’s one over innings.

In the event of the Tie in Super over too,  the team whose batsmen hit the most number of boundaries combined from its two innings in both the main match and the one over per side eliminator shall be the winner.  If the number of boundaries hit by both teams is equal, the team whose batsmen scored more boundaries during its innings in the main match (ignoring the over per side eliminator) shall be the winner. If still equal, a count-back from the final ball of the one over eliminator shall be conducted.  The team with the higher scoring delivery shall be the winner.

Will be remembered by all those who watched as a Match which went beyond the Super over too.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

29^th Sept. 13

Photo courtesy : www.clt20.com/photos/