Auckland Aces let slip a slim chance to edge Nashua Titans out of the Champions League, crashing to a 16-run defeat to Perth Scorchers at the Supersport Park on Tuesday.
Perth were already out of the title hunt, and the best they could achieve from this game was beating Auckland and thus put Delhi Daredevils and the Titans in the semifinals.
Having restricted Perth to 140-7, Auckland needed to chase down the runs in under 15 overs to improve on their poor net run rate of -1.035. A quick win would have brought them level with the Titans on points and ahead of them on run rate.
But the Aces' chase never took off.
The reassuring presence of Martin Guptill and Azhar Mahmood in the middle took the Aces to 61-1 in the 10th over. But both batsmen then fell trying to attack left-arm spinner Michael Beer.
Perth used the wickets to tighten things further, and on a sluggish batting conditions, the required rate shot past Auckland's grasp.
Perth Scorchers, who were runners-up to Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League back home, finished the tournament with a distinctively un-Australian record of three losses from four games.
The Aussie outfit left out the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, and pacer Nathan Rimmington, who'd done well in their three games of the competition.
This allowed England veteran Paul Collingwood a hit and his 38 along with captain Marcus North's 37 formed the core of the Perth innings.
The wicket and outfield were on the slower side and Perth found it difficult to lift their scoring rate. Kyle Mills bowled three overs for six runs after which Michael Bates took 4-34.
SCORES IN BRIEF
PERTH SCORCHERS: 140 for 7 (Collingwood 38, North 37, Katich 21, Beaton 22; Bates 4-34)
AUCKLAND ACES: 124 for 8 (Guptill 36, Mahmood 23, Munro 23; Beer 3-13, Mennie 2-23)
Result: Perth Scorchers won by 16 runs.
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