A torrent of sixes from Aces openers Martin Guptill and Simon Keene set up a 53-run thumping of the Wellington Firebirds this afternoon in Wellington, as the race intensifies to qualify for the Dream11 Super Smash Finals weekend on 1 and 2 February.
Martin Guptill unleashed | PHOTOSPORT
Guptill (the 38-year-old in vintage touch, with 82 off just 49 balls) smashed six sixes, and Keene seven sixes in a breakthrough knock of 81 off 35 - the sharp young allrounder's maiden T20 half century.
Maiden fifty feels | PHOTOSPORT
Together with a slew of boundaries, it all helped propel the Aucklanders to a winning total of 215/3 - the highest total by any team this season, in fact.
Simon Keene | PHOTOSPORT
The crisp-hitting duo also set a new Auckland Aces T20 record with their first wicket partnership of 164, beating the mark of 149 set by the veteran Guptill himself, alongside Lou Vincent in 2009/10, that was also against the Firebirds - at Auckland' that time's Colin Maiden Park.
Hear from @aucklandcricket Aces Martin Guptill on the 164-run opening partnership he posted alongside Simon Keene!
— Dream11 Super Smash (@SuperSmashNZ) January 20, 2025
Watch LIVE and free in NZ on @TVNZ + & DUKE 📺 Live scoring | https://t.co/C2PpGjNWp3 🔗 #SuperSmashNZ #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/CkvuMBzpO4
It was Auckland's day as pacemen Danru Ferns (4/16), Keene (2/24) and aggressive Angus Olliver (2/21) all went on to record their new career best T20 bowling figures during Wellington's doomed chase.
The win was an important one for the slow-burning Aces who move up again, to fourth spot.
The top three men's teams, the Central Stags, Otago Volts and Northern Brave, can control their destiny in the race for the three Finals Weekend berths, and are putting the heat on the bottom three teams - all three of which can reach a maximum of only 24 points now, putting them in danger of being bumped out.