Northern Districts executed a stunning and unprecedented tactical move in men’s T20 cricket on Sunday, retiring out two of their batters in consecutive overs to dramatically shift the momentum of their Super
Smash match against the Volts at Mount Maunganui. The daring strategy paid off as aggressive replacements instantly injected urgency into the innings, helping Northern Districts recover from a sluggish middle phase to force a tie.
This historic event marked the first time two batters were retired out in the same innings in men’s T20 cricket.
What Exactly Happened?
In Mount Maunganui, Northern Districts faced difficulties as former New Zealand international Jeet Raval and debutant Xavier Bell struggled to accelerate the scoring rate. Raval was the first to be withdrawn at the start of the 17th over after scoring 23 off 28 balls. Bell followed in the next over, having made a laboured 9 off 13 deliveries. Their replacements, Ben Pomare and Scott Kuggeleijn, made an immediate impact, each hitting their first ball for six to signal a shift in intent.
Pomare initiated the counterattack, smashing seamer Danru Ferns over midwicket for six and racing to 20 off just 10 balls. Kuggeleijn then took charge at the death as Northern Districts pushed towards a challenging finish. The equation eventually came down to 19 runs required from the final over, bowled by Ferns. A beamer to start the over was nudged for a single by Tim Pringle, before Kuggeleijn powered three fours from the next five balls. With three needed from the last delivery, Ferns delivered a pinpoint yorker, restricting Kuggeleijn to two and sealing the tie. Kuggeleijn remained unbeaten on 34 off 12 balls, striking at an extraordinary 283.33.
Reflecting on the decision, Volts batter Max Chu told the host broadcaster, “I think it’s probably just happening on the fly,” Volts’ Max Chu told the host broadcaster when asked about ND tactically retiring out two of their batters. “You always feel a little bit bad because they’re not trying to slow the game down. I actually thought it was probably credit to our spinners. I thought Ben [Lockrose] bowled beautifully, Troy [Johnson] on debut bowled beautifully. And yeah, through that middle phase I think we really made the game hard for ND.”
Retiring Out In Cricket
While retiring out is not entirely new to the format, its use in quick succession is rare. During the 2022 Vitality Blast in England, Carlos Brathwaite and Samit Patel retired out in an eight-over shootout, but in separate innings. More recently, UAE women set a unique benchmark in May 2025 by retiring out all ten batters in a rain-affected T20 against Qatar in Bangkok, ensuring their bowlers had sufficient time to complete the match.
Once considered an extreme option, retiring out has become increasingly accepted in modern T20 cricket, where wickets are often sacrificed for rapid scoring. High-profile examples, including R Ashwin employing the tactic in the IPL, have helped normalise the move. Similar thinking was evident recently in the ILT20, when Max Holden was retired out for 42 off 37 balls, allowing Shimron Hetmyer to provide a late surge.
Like the Vipers in that instance, Northern Districts benefited from bold decision-making. The match ended in a tie, with both teams sharing points, and under Super Smash rules, only knockout matches will be decided by a Super Over.
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