Jaipur: All-rounder Jimmy Neesham did the star turn with the bat and ball as Otago Volts beat Highveld Lions in the one-over eliminator in a thrilling group match to place themselves in a strong position for a semifinal berth in the Champions League Twenty20 here today.
Neesham first blasted a 25-ball unbeaten 52 to rescue Otago from a precarious position to take his side to 167 for seven and tie the match. In the Super Over, the first in this edition of CLT20, he bowled a superb over to give Otago victory in an edge-of-the-seat thriller which saw fortunes fluctuating from one side to the other.
The Lions, who are now knocked out of the tournament, looked like they would notch up their first win of the tournament when pacer Sohail Tanvir bowled a brilliant over to restrict Otago to just 13 runs in the Super Over at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
The Lions also began the Super Over with a bang with Quinton de Kock, who smashed a brilliant unbeaten 109 in his side's innings earlier, hitting a four and a six in the first two deliveries of the one-over eliminator.
They needed four runs from as may deliveries but stunningly lost the plot in the nerve-wrecking Super Over as Jean Symes was out in the fourth ball, leaving the Lions needing three from two balls and two from the last ball.
Dwaine Pretorius was run out in the last ball, which meant that the Lions were all out for 13 in the Super Over as Otago emerged victorious, their 15th T20 match win on the trot.
With today's win, Otago were on 10 points from three matches—two wins and one washed out game—and they are now in a strong position to qualify for the semifinals.
