13 Dec 2015

Auckland to play Otago in T20 final

1:08 pm on 13 December 2015

Auckland will play Otago in Sunday night's domestic Twenty20 cricket final after Auckland beat Canterbury by two runs under the Duckworth Lewis method in a rain-affected elimination final on Saturday night in New Plymouth.

The Auckland bowler Donovan Grobbelaar celebrates a wicket.

The Auckland bowler Donovan Grobbelaar celebrates a wicket. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Despite the narrow margin on paper, Auckland had looked in control throughout the evening.

Sent into bat by the Auckland captain Rob Nicol, Canterbury wickets regularly as they struggled to 113 all out in the sudden death encounter - which left their backs against the wall when rain intervened in the second innings.

In response, Auckland never looked under pressure, Nicol and Jeet Raval putting on 41 for the first wicket at exactly run-a-ball pace to set a platform.

Matt Henry had gone for only three from his opening two overs, and Todd Astle gave Canterbury some hope by claiming the wickets of Raval (14) and the potent Colin Munro in the big-hitter's first misfire of the season.

That reduced Auckland to 47 for two, but when rain arrived three runs later with the chase at 50 for two halfway through the 10th over, the Aces were two runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score.

It was all it took, with no further play possible.

Sunday night's final is at the same venue at 7:15pm.