Mahmood blasts Auckland through, Hampshire out
Azhar Mahmood produced a remarkable all-round performance to send Auckland through to the main draw of the Champions League
Azhar Mahmood produced a remarkable all-round performance to send Auckland through to the main draw of the Champions League
Scorer: Sanjay Murari | Commentator: Sidharth Monga
All right, that's it from game one today. There's another coming up soon. Do join us for that. Here's Sidharth Monga signing off. Cheers
Quotes from presentation
"It's a shame when the toss of the coin dominates the whole game," says Dimitri Mascarenhas. "Craberry batted nicely, we thought we could get to 140 at one stage, but it didn't happen. Its pretty tough, it is a dead rubber tomorrow, but the boys will want to leave South Africa and the Champions League with a win."
"Boys were surprised I won the toss," says Gareth Hopkins. "The boys adjusted well to the wicket. It was a good toss to win. It was a little bit sticky up front, and flattened out later. Mahmood is a quality attack. It's huge for us. We were here last year, lost two off the last ball, that really hurt. Playing the game last night up front helped. There was calmness, and we have carried the momentum."
"Good start," says MoM Azhar Mahmood. "Yesterday first-ball six, today too, but a good comeback. Lovely time with the Auckland. They are a great bunch of guys, both on and off the field. Very happy with my performance, just need to work on a few things. Hope to get that first ball right."
This takes Auckland into the main draw, and renders inconsequential tomorrow's match between Sialkot and Hampshire. Mahmood has had a match and a half here. He bowled smartly, digging it in, running his fingers over the ball. He knew the wicket was sticky, and that spongy bounce was going to be difficult to hit. However, when he batted, he made the wicket look easy to bat on
Maxwell to bowl now
Azhar Mahmood is not as flashy as Shahid Afridi but he was far more reliable and won the day for Auckland in the most emphatic of ways
ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Auckland v Hampshire at Centurion
Dimitri Mascarenhas has criticised the pitch in Centurion, calling it "no good for 20-over cricket" after Hampshire were knocked out of the Champions League
Azhar Mahmood produced a remarkable all-round performance to send Auckland through to the main draw of the Champions League