Glenn Maxwell Leads From the Front as Belfast Wolves Win ETPL Final
Belfast Wolves went on to defeat Edinburgh Castle Rockers by 14 runs to win the inaugural edition of ETPL. The team started off by posting 171/7, as Maxwell's late cameo helped them to post a strong total. As Brandon McMullen threatened to take the game away, Maxwell took his wicket.
Pitch and Weather
The match will be played at The Village, which is known to offer a good T20 surface with enough pace and carry for the stroke makers when they settle. Pacers will be able to extract movement with the new ball, as spinners will be able to do well in the middle overs. For this evening final, expect cool conditions around 15–18°C, moderate-to-high humidity, cloud cover and a noticeable breeze. A par score at this venue is expected to be around 170-175.
Toss
Belfast Wolves win the toss and decide to bat first. Glenn Maxwell aims to use the depth of his batting line-up to post a strong total and later defend the same.
Lineups
Edinburgh Castle Rockers: Ross Adair, JJ Smuts, Andries Gous, Brandon McMullen, Laurie Evans, Mitchell Santner (C), Tom Curran, Gareth Delany, Mark Watt, Jack Jarvis, Trent Boult
Belfast Wolves: Paul Stirling, Tim Tector, Devon Conway, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Manenti, Glenn Maxwell (C), Chris Jordan, Mark Adair, Fred Klaassen, Matthew Humphreys, Saurabh Netravalkar
Match Report
Belfast Wolves went on to post 171/7 and defended the total by 14 runs with the help of their disciplined middle overs bowling. Ross Adair was able to give a good start as he smashed Boult and Klaassen through the off side, but JJ Smuts and Andries Gous lost their wickets inside the powerplay. This left Edinburgh at the score of 46/2 after six overs.
McMullen was able to restore the momentum with Evans, as they used sweeps against Humphreys and even smashed Netravalkar whenever he bowled short. The duo had a 54-run stand which ended when Maxwell stepped in, as he removed McMullen. Evans also lost his wicket soon after to Manenti, as the team stood at the score of 108/5 after 15 overs.
Santner decided to promote himself ahead of Curran but Belfast did well in the death overs. Jordan bowled wide yorkers and slower balls, as Klaassen attacked the stumps. Santner scored 24 off 17 which gave some hope to Edinburgh, but the team lost two wickets in the 19th over, leaving them at 147/7. With Jordan doing well in the final over, the team finished at 157/8.
Earlier when Belfast batted first, Paul Stirling gave a good start by scoring 38 runs off 24 balls till Jarvis found the edge. Conway went on to anchor the innings with Tucker, adding 61 runs together, but Mark Watt's introduction changed the game. With his quicker deliveries, Tucker and Manenti lost their wickets, forcing Belfast to rebuild.
The decisive moment came when Maxwell decided to accelerate after 14 balls, when he smashed two sixes against Watt in the 16th over. This also created a platform for Jordan to score 22 runs off 10 balls. Boult was able to take two wickets, but the total posted by Belfast was sufficient.
Player of the Match
Glenn Maxwell won the Player of the Match award for scoring 31 runs off 22 balls, setting the tone for aggressive batting in the death overs. Along with that, he also took the crucial wicket of Brandon McMullen.