Fast bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult have been quite a force for New Zealand in Tests and they proved it in good measure turning out for Northern Knights at the Chhatisgarh Stadium yesterday.
The pace duo shared five wickets as the Knights decimated Lahore Lions by 72 runs and took a huge step towards qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League Twenty20 qualifiers.
Southee claimed two wickets for 12 runs and the left-armer Boult dismissed three batsmen for 22 runs as the Lions were bowled out for a paltry 98 in 18 overs.
Earlier, the Knights rode on captain Daniel Flynn’s enterprising 30-ball 53 and his 90-run partnership with wicketkeeper Bradley- John Watling (53 off 37 balls) to raise 170-6 in 20 overs.
With two victories from two matches, the Knights top the four-team qualifiers standings and face Mumbai Indians in their final qualiyfing match tomorrow.
Man of the match Boult credited the Knights’ winning run to the team’s preparation ahead of the tournament.
The 25-year-old said: “It is very exciting to get two in two. It has been a testament to some pretty good work from us back home and it has helped us to come and deliver here. It is a very satisfying feeling.”
Boult believes having his childhood friend Southee, 25, at the other end is a big bonus and they complement each other very well.
“I enjoy bowling with him,” he said. “We have grown up together and played age group cricket together and I have learnt a lot from him. He is a great bowler and that is why he is amongst the top ten in the world. We both are pretty young in our careers and hopefully we have a lot more to come in the future,” he added.
For the Lahore Lions the defeat was a big setback after their opening six-wicket win against Mumbai.
Their bowling lacked sting and their batsmen, barring Saad Nasim (58 off 40 balls), failed to get into double figures.