Auckland Aces comfortably defeated Wellington Firebirds at the temporarily named Martin Guptill Oval last Thursday. The victory was largely thanks to a stellar performance by Kiwi opener Martin Guptill, who scored a decisive 85 runs in his testimonial game, propelling his team to a total of 192/6.
Wellington’s chase never gained momentum as Ben Lister took four wickets, while Louis Delport and Danru Ferns shared the remaining six to secure a 53-run win. Amidst the impressive display of skills throughout the match, Delport’s celebration after claiming his final scalp in the 11th over stood out.
Having already dismissed opposition skipper Nick Kelly and the dangerous Michael Bracewell, Delport, a slow-left arm orthodox bowler, delivered a superb ball in the penultimate delivery of his spell, dismissing Callum McLachlan.
Pitching from around the wicket, the Kookaburra landed on leg-stump and straightened enough to deceive the batsman, hitting him plumb in front of the stumps. Delport’s reaction was remarkable – as soon as the umpire raised his finger, he executed a front flip followed by an audacious free-style backflip, much to the joy of the crowd and his teammates.
Delport has another! He gets McLachlan LBW and the Firebirds lose their fifth wicket! Follow play LIVE and free on @TVNZ+ and DUKE. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/ju8tnPHgTe #SuperSmashNZ pic.twitter.com/ABbBf1qVPe
— Dream11 Super Smash (@SuperSmashNZ) January 4, 2024
Despite the overt display of excitement, the 35-year-old continued to express his jubilation, wildly flailing his limbs, embodying sheer bliss and causing a frenzy among Twitter users.