Northern Districts retired out two of their batters to secure a tie in a Super Smash game against Otago at Mount Maunganui.
Otago posted 166-6 after Northern Districts captain Ben Pomare won the toss and opted to field at the Bay Oval. Max Chu top-scored with 64 not out in 42 balls while for ND, Tim Pringle returned 2-25 and Henry Cooper 2-29 in their respective four overs.
ND began well, racing to 75-1 in the ninth over before losing two wickets in quick succession, including that of eventual top scorer Brett Hampton (35 in 30 balls). Jeet Raval (23 in 28) and Xavier Bell (nine in 13) put on 27, but could not get the scoring rate going. As the asking rate soared, Raval retired out.
ND needed 58 in 24 balls at this point. Pomare walked out and hit the first ball he faced, off Danru Ferns, for six, and picked up seven more off the last four balls of the over. He ran a single off the first ball of Jake Gibson’s over, following which Bell retired out. This marked the first instance of two batters from the same side retiring out in a men’s T20.
It is worth a mention that it has already happened twice in women’s T20s, both in 2025 – for Turkey against Bulgaria and more famously, for the UAE against Qatar. In a brilliant tactic display, all ten UAE batters sprinted back to the pavilion in groups of two and retired out in order to give their bowlers enough time before the impending rain.
Scott Kuggeleijn replaced Bell and, like his captain, hit the first ball for six. Matthew Bacon dismissed Pomare (20 in 10) in the next over, leaving ND to chase 19 in the last over. After Pringle ran a single off the first ball (a no-ball), Kuggeleijn hit three fours and two twos to level the scores.
The teams shared points, as the Super Smash uses a Super Over only in the knockout stage.
