Auckland Aces are off the mark in the men’s Super Smash thanks to two incredible spells of bowling by Ben Lister and Adithya Ashok against Wellington.
The Aces looked to have left runs on the table at the Basin Reserve after batting first and labouring to 134-9, Mark Chapman anchoring the innings with a crucial 55 off 48 balls.
But it proved to be more than enough as swing and seam combined to carry the visitors to a 13-run victory – their first in three outings following consecutive losses to Northern Districts.
Lister did the damage early, taking two wickets in the first over and finishing with 3-27, while Ashok was even better, shutting down a brief Wellington fightback with 3-8.
Auckland won the toss but it was the hosts who got off to a flyer when Hamish Bennett had Martin Guptill (four) caught behind on the third ball of the day.
George Worker and Chapman recovered well, putting on a 57-run partnership at a decent clip. But just when Auckland looked to be in the ascendency, the wheels fell off with three wickets in three overs.
Ben Sears instigated the collapse when he forced a big top-edge off Worker before a tremendous throw by Tim Robinson saw Wellington strike again two balls later.
Spare a thought for Cole Briggs, who was run out without facing a ball – a rare diamond duck – after Chapman pushed for a second run. However, Robinson’s arm was just too good.
Robert O’Donnell at least faced three deliveries before going for a duck off Sears, who had his third scalp when skipper Michael Bracewell hauled in a tricky catch off Ben Horne (10) to leave Auckland on 91-5 after 13 overs.
Thankfully for the Aces, Chapman was able to keep the runs ticking over from one end to put them in a position to launch in the final few overs.
The left-hander scored his 12th domestic T20 fifty, hitting three fours and a six. But his departure to Logan Van Beek sparked another flurry of wickets before a late Sean Solia (19) cameo ensured Auckland made it past 130.
Wellington couldn’t have had too many complaints about their work with the ball. But if they had their noses in front at the midway point, that quickly changed following Lister’s blistering start.
