Super Smash 2023-24 Points Table: Updated standings after Northern Districts vs Wellington Firebirds, Match 11

Northern Districts and Wellington Firebirds squared off in the 11th match of the ongoing Super Smash tournament. Wellington ensured that they continued on the top of the points table with their victory against the Northern Districts (Northern Brave).

With 14 points from four games, Wellington are the only unbeaten side in the tournament with a net run rate of 4.410. They have won three games out of the four played, with one of the fixtures seeing no result.

While Auckland continue to hold the second spot on the points table, with eight points from four games, Canterbury Kings are in third place with six points from three games and an NRR of 0.154. Central Districts too have six points to their name, having played four games so far.

Otago Volts are in the fifth spot with six points from four matches. Having lost two games and won a sole contest, they have the worst NRR of -3.792 among all six teams. Northern Districts’ situation on the points table worsened after the loss against Wellington. They slipped to the bottom-most position and have just four points from three games, having won just a single game and lost two.

Rank	Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	Pts	NRR
1	Wellington Firebirds	4	3	0	0	1	14	4.41
2	Auckland Aces	4	1	1	0	2	8	0.534
3	Canterbury Kings	3	1	1	0	1	6	0.154
4	Central Districts	4	1	2	0	1	6	-0.542
5	Otago Volts	4	1	2	0	1	6	-3.792
6	Northern Knights	3	1	2	0	0	4	-0.4

Tom Blundell and Peter Younghusband lead Wellington to an emphatic win

Winning the toss, Wellington elected to bat first and posted a total of 177 runs in their 20-over quota. Opener Tim Robinson got the team off to a great start before being dismissed in the third over for 20(11). Skipper Nick Kelly couldn’t create an impact and was dismissed cheaply.

Decent contributions from the middle-order batters and wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell’s fiery knock of 71(39) helped the side improve the numbers on the scoreboard. At the close of the first innings, the Wellington found themselves at 177/8. Niel Wagner was the pick of the bowlers for Northern Districts, registering 3/17 in four overs.

Northern Districts’ start to the chase was terrible, as they lost three crucial wickets within the first three overs. Courtesy of Nathan Smith, Logan van Beek, and Ian McPeake, the Districts found themselves reeling at 28/3 in 2.5 overs.

It was then the knock of skipper Jeet Raval which kept the Districts’ hopes of winning the encounter alive. After Raval’s wicket, Tim Pringle’s heroics kept their side on track but the Wellington bowlers restricted the opposition to 154/8 to win the game by 23 runs.