In reply, the Kiwi side looked threatening only in the first four overs and were eventually bowled out for 139. Thus the Cobras earned a spot in the League round.
The only time Cape Cobras skipper Andrew Puttick went wrong on Saturday was at the toss. But it had no effect on the game. After being put into bat by Otago Volts captain Craig Cumming, Puttick led by example with a blistering century as the Cobras posted a mammoth 193 for 4 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here.
In reply, the Kiwi side looked threatening only in the first four overs and were eventually bowled out for 139. Thus the Cobras earned a spot in the League round.
Puttick’s power hitting was a revelation. What Puttick displayed was nothing but clean hitting. Nicknamed ‘boom’, the 28-year-old made the white ball fly all over the park during his knock which comprised 12 fours and three sixes. The fact that he wasn’t part of the squad in the first place makes the achievement even more amazing.
Puttick made his intentions clear when he slashed Neil Wagner past slip off the second ball of the game and then flicked the same bowler two balls later. The pitch here, unlike the one at New Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla, was a beauty to bat on. Puttick and opening match hero JP Duminy dominated proceedings with a 95-run stand for the third wicket.
The duo consumed 62 balls to pile up these runs and then passed the baton to Justin Ontong, who played a cameo, smacking four sixes. The former South Africa player scored a 14-ball 39 and took Ian Butler to the cleaners by scoring 10 off the last two balls of the innings.
Brief Scores: Cape Cobras: 193 for 4 in 20 overs (A Puttick 104 n.o., J Ontong 39, JP Duminy 32) beat Otago Volts: 139 in 17.1 overs (N McCullum 38; R Kleinveldt 3-24) by 54 runs.
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