CLT20 Match 8: Otago Volts vs Perth Scorchers - Heroes of the day

Massacre – that sums up the thrilling clash between the Otago Volts and the Perth Scorchers at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur today.

After last night’s heart-stopping humdingers, it was the turn of the batsmen to take centrestage, and the New Zealand side delivered a powerful shock to the struggling Australian squad – a shock that left the Scorchers demoralized.

Both sides lost quick wickets early into their respective innings, but while one recovered well, the other struggled hard to keep up with an ever increasing rate. Chasing a daunting target of 243, the Perth team could only muster 180/6, going down by 62 runs.

Here are the Heroes of the day:

Neil Broom (Batsman, Otago Volts) – (117* off 56 balls – 9 fours, 8 sixes; 2 catches)

He has been out of the Black Caps squad for far too long, and today Neil Broom reminded the national selectors that he was still ready to compete at the highest level.

Broom started off slowly, steadying the boat after the Scorchers rocked his side early with the wickets of Hamish Rutherford and Brendon McCullum. With Derek de Boorder for company, the No. 3 batsman focused on stemming the rot, mixing caution with aggression and keeping the scorecard ticking.

After the wicket-keeper fell, Broom stepped up his attack after the half-way mark, unleashing a display of power-hitting that was just as artistic as it was lethal. With Dutch maverick Ryan ten Doeschate also joining the party, the Kiwi batsman plundered runs almost at will, reaching his maiden T20 century and the first of this year’s Champions League in just 51 balls.

Twin catches in the field to dismiss Ashton Turner and Tom Triffitt capped a fine day for Broom. Magnificent performance!