Zak Foulkes and Mitchell Santner celebrate a wicket in the final over against Sri Lanka. Photo / Photosport
Zak Foulkes and Mitchell Santner celebrate a wicket in the final over against Sri Lanka. Photo / Photosport
Asked to send down the final over of his maiden international at home, Zak Foulkes needed far fewer than the 14 runs he had to defend.
The 22-year-old delivered two wickets in his first two balls as the Black Caps completed an impressive resurgence to stun Sri Lanka in the first T20 at Bay Oval on Saturday night.
Considering they had slumped to 65-5 before allowing the tourists to race to 121-0, the final eight-run winning margin felt like a massive chasm for a home side largely outplayed.
Instead, it suddenly transformed into a memorable moment for Foulkes to recall from his home debut, one set up by the influential efforts of fellow seamers Matt Henry and, particularly, Jacob Duffy.
The 30-year-old Otago bowler was playing his 16th T20 since making a debut four years ago, long stranded on the fringes of a squad blessed with senior pace talent.
But in a new era for the team under Santner, no longer able to call on the experience of Tim Southee and his 126 caps, Duffy ensured the old faces were forgotten in one four-ball blitz.
Until then, the tourists had been cruising towards their target in a one-sided series opener. Chasing 173 on a traditionally high-scoring ground, openers Pathum Nissanka (90 off 60) and Kusal Mendis seemed intent on sending the crowd home in a hurry.
In the 14th over, though, Duffy changed all that – and the match – by snaring three wickets to spark a scarcely believable slide of 8-38.
Tim Robinson celebrates his catch with Mark Chapman. Photo / Photosport
“Momentum was flowing their way in that big partnership with their two opening batters,” Duffy told TVNZ. “It was just one of those times where you take a few punts and bring a fielder up. I guess today it paid off.”
That successful punt was replicated when Santner lined up the final over for Foulkes, whose first three had come without success at the cost of 37 runs.
The skipper had no choice but to bowl out the more effective pairing of Duffy (3-21) and Henry (2-28), finding reward when the latter collected two wickets for six runs in a crucial 19th over.
Foulkes then repaid his skipper’s faith by inducing a top edge with his first ball before completing a sharp runout from his second, walking away the happiest of the three home debutants.
Robinson enjoyed his best moment in the 19th over, improvising an agile catch on the boundary rope. Given his job description, the opener’s hesitant 11 off 9 would be what lingered in the mind.
Especially considering his side required half their allotment to get their innings on the right track, with Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell hitting half-centuries in a 60-ball stand of 105.
That lifted the hosts from 65-5 towards what became a par total of 172-8, one to which Hay was unable to contribute while being dismissed for a golden duck. In the end, with the ball nestling in his gloves and victory secured, that brief stay at the crease had been all but forgotten.
The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps test this summer. Listen to live commentary here.
Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.
