Cricket: Team Cricket edge Team Rugby in the thriller T20 Black Clash

Daniel Vettori was unfazed, putting three wickets into the final over to beat Team Cricket in a tense two-run win over Team Rugby at the third annual Black Clash.

With Jordie Barrett on the cusp of leading Team Rugby to an unexpected surprise, Vettori casually stepped forward, as he did during his decorated New Zealand career, to claim the All Blacks and Hurricanes by 30 of 11 balls.

Eight races were required from the end of Vettori, with the series level 1-1.

Vettori was never even remotely nervous when he knocked out Andy Ellis and Marc Ellis with his notorious arm before ending rugby’s hopes by claiming that Barrett finished with a match-winning 3-11 in four overs.

The only difference from Vettori’s heyday is his bushy, wild mustache.

Chasing a mighty 189-5, Will Jordan’s hitting exploits failed to outshine Peter Fulton after the former Black Caps starter smoked five straight sixes of one over.

Jordan scored two attempts from the bench in his second Test for the All Blacks last year and continued to hit Midas with 49 of 29 balls as Rugby tried to outshine his more imaginative counterparts in front of a sold out crowd in Christchurch on Friday.

Moving around the area, seemingly at home against Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills and Scott Styris, Jordan’s efforts gave Barrett a chance to fight to swing Rugby at home, the total turned out to be a bit out of reach when Jason Spice holed the last ball.

Opening for Cricket alongside Hamish Marshall, who hit an energetic 37 of 20 balls in the initial 62-run association, Fulton needed time to get going, but he used his moment at 11 to hit the first shot and throw five successive shots beyond. of the Hagley Oval rope. .

Fulton brazenly took aim at Kaylum Boshier, having coached now-forward Taranaki and the Chiefs on New Zealand’s under-19 cricket side and suggesting it couldn’t be easy with his former.

Wielding the willow to 80 of 51 balls, a hit that featured seven sixes and four limits, Fulton seemed to take the game away from Rugby, who, unlike in previous years, was unable to turn to players like Mahela Jayawardene or Muttiah Muralitharan due to the situation from New Zealand. closed borders.

Grant Elliott was undefeated with 34 for Cricket, while former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming (9), Craig McMillan (4) and Styris (8) failed to rekindle the former glory.

Andy Ellis proved himself the rugby players’ choice, taking 3-15 from three overs that resembled Nathan Astle or, perhaps, Gavin Larsen. Israel Dagg also had an excellent catch and pitch to eliminate Marshall and claim 1-27 of four overs.

In response, Jordan and Ofisa Tonu’u turned 74 for the opening wicket, before Nathan McCullum claimed the former All Blacks running back, the first of his three scalps, for an unconventional 29 of 28 balls that included several reverse sweeps.

As rugby threatened to attack, McCullum’s restrictive 3-20 allowed the highly favored cricket team to breathe a little easier, at least for a brief moment.

McMillan and Adam Parore turned the clock back two-in-one and cut Rugby to 85-3 with Jordan leaving, leaving Boshier and Jock McKenzie to attempt the rescue mission.

Boshier impressed again in this encounter, hitting three sixes in a horrible attempt by Jordan Watson at bowling, but he too fell to a full and wide delivery when Rugby fell to 134-5.

Barrett’s belated efforts ensured that the competition was boiled down to the final ball again, as it did last year, but Vettori’s wise head proved the difference in an entertaining show.

T20 Black Clash as it happened: