We didn't deserve to win it until the last couple of overs, says Alfonso Thomas - Cricket News Update
Auckland's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League T20 were dashed after they lost to Somerset in a match played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on September 20, 2011.
The English County side, Somerset, held their nerves to win a nail bitter as they chased down 125 by the final delivery of their innings.
Alfonso Thomas, Somerset's skipper, was stoked with the result, as he did not expect his side to prevail after losing early wickets.
At the match presentation, Thomas said, “We didn't deserve to win it until the last couple of overs really, the way we batted. It was a bit of deja vu really to go out and finish a game here. The goal is always to get into the
second half where we have two more international players coming.”
Auckland has been unlucky in this tournament. They had two close encounters and came out as the second best on both occasions. In the first game, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by two runs. However, they seemed to be the better
side in most part of this game, but the lack of killer instinct allowed their opponents to make a comeback into the match.
Half of Somerset’s batting workforce was back in the pavilion with just 64 runs on the board. However, the sixth-wicket partnership of 61 runs between James Hildreth and wicket-keeper batsman Steve Snell turned the tide in Somerset’s
favour. Snell was awarded with the Man of the Match honours for his vital innings of 34.
Gareth Hopkins, skipper of Auckland cricket club, was absolutely devastated by the loss, as the cricketer from New Zealand believed that the bowling attack would secure a win for his side.
Lamenting the loss to Somerset, Hopkins said, “It is gut-wrenching to go this close and fall short. We were just looking to play straighter, but I think we had enough with our experienced bowling line-up. The Somerset boys played
really well in the end.”
Somerset is scheduled to play Kolkata in their next fixture. The match will be played on Wednesday, September 21, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The winner of that game will qualify for the CLT20.