NS vs MO, AI Simulation | Philip Salt and Heinrich Klaasen knocks spoil Superchargers' chances of number one spot

‌Pitch and Weather

The Surface at Headingley was nice and hard with a bit of seam and bounce for the bowlers at the start, but was a paradise for the batters who enjoyed playing their shots and scoring runs.

The weather in Leeds was cool and breezy, with the recorded temperature at 21 degrees Celsius. Though there was a bit of rain at the start, there was no damage done as the players still enjoyed a full game of cricket. 

Toss

Manchester Originals won the toss and chose to bowl first

Lineups

Northern Superchargers: Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Michael-Kyle Pepper(wk), Harry Brook(c), Dan Lawrence, David Miller, Samit Patel, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jacob Duffy.

Manchester Originals: Philip Salt(c), Ben McKinney, Jos Buttler(wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Tom Hartley, Scott Currie, Farhan Ahmed, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker.

Match Report

Manchester Originals won the toss and chose to field first on a hard and green surface at Headingley and seemed to pay the price straight away as Northern Superchargers openers Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan played some fearless strokes early on to put the bowlers under pressure. This move started to work for the hosts, who ended the power play on a score of 47/0. The two batters were looking dangerous at the crease until Malan was finally dismissed on the 37th ball by Hartley for a score of 27 off 19 deliveries. Despite the minor hiccup, Crawley continued the onslaught while Michael Kyle Pepper played the anchor role at the other end. The Northerners were still in a solid position with the score at 87/1 after 50 balls. Though the top three had set a good platform at the start, the Originals came back in the game as Josh Tongue returned for his second spell and got the big wicket of Crawley, who edged it through to the keeper on a score of 34 off 22 balls. Michael Pepper was dismissed in the next over as he failed to get under a well-disguised slower delivery by Scott Currie, which crashed into his middle and off stump. The runs suddenly dried up for the Boys in Purple as only 33 runs came in the next 25 balls, with the score reading 120/3 after 75 balls. As soon as it seemed like the Originals would dominate the second half, Superchargers skipper Harry Brook had other plans. The Yorkshire-born played an incredible knock of 46 off 27 before being dismissed by a devastating yorker by Tongue. Brook’s dismissal was followed by two more wickets, with Dan Lawrence being deceived by a nice flighted delivery by Hartley, and Samit Patil became Tongue’s third victim on the 93rd delivery. While these wickets put the team in a spot of bother, David Miller played a great cameo towards the end to take the score to 163/6 after 100 balls.

The total might have looked challenging on paper, but Originals skipper Philip Salt kept the chase alive from ball one with some aggressive strokeplay. Ben Mckiney also provided the needed support as they finished the power play on a score of 49/0. Though McKinney was shortly dismissed on the 32nd ball by Adil Rashid, Jos Buttler ensured that there was no break in the run-flow as soon as he joined Salt at the crease. With another 50 runs coming in the next 25 balls, the Originals were looking solid at the halfway mark, with the score reading 90/1. The partnership between the two Englishmen was looking good until Rashid returned for another over and got the prized wicket of Salt on the 55th ball. As the captain’s valiant knock of 41 off 23 came to an end, the runs started to dry up. The situation got even messier as Buttler was dismissed by Jacob Duffy on 33. With both set batters in the dressing room, the visitors could only manage 27 runs in the next 25 balls, with the game in a tight position at 117/3 after 75 balls. Though the equation of 47 off the last 25 balls seemed tough, it got easier as soon as Rachin Ravindra and Heinrich Klaasen started to find their footing. The partnership between the South African and the Kiwi put the team in a comfortable position as only 20 runs were needed in the last 15 balls . Though Matthew Potts managed to break the partnership with a wicket of Ravindra on the 89th ball, it was too late as Klaasen finished off the game with five balls to spare and ended unbeaten on 44 off just 28 deliveries. While this six-wicket win proved to be a great finish to a poor season for the Originals, it ruined the chances for a direct final qualification for the Superchargers.

Player of the match

Heinrich Klaasen was awarded the player of the match for his crucial knock of 44 during a tough phase for the Manchester franchise.

Scorecard