Nick Selman hit two final-over sixes in match-winning ton to see Michael Hogan claim win in first game as county skipper
Aussies decisive in last-over thriller
There was a distinctly Australian feel to Glamorgan's first County Championship victory for the season, with their new captain and final-day hero both hailing from Down Under.
Thanks to a heroic century and two final-over sixes from Brisbane-born opener Nick Selman, Glamorgan stormed to a rousing three-wicket win with just three balls to spare in their clash with Durham in Swansea on Monday.
GLAMORGAN WIN A THRILLER
— County Championship (@CountyChamp) May 29, 2017
Selman smashes 6️⃣, 6️⃣, 2️⃣ off the final over to secure @GlamCricket the victory pic.twitter.com/CpohCybNF5
The match was former Western Australia fast bowler Michael Hogan's first match at the helm after last week being appointed skipper for the remainder of this season's four-day domestic competition.
And he could hardly have made a better start to his tenure, snagging seven wickets for the match (including an 18th career first-class five-wicket haul on day one) and striking a handy unbeaten 29 off 30 balls in Glamorgan's first innings.
But it was Selman who brought it home for the Welsh county on the final day, playing the perfect anchoring role on the way to his fourth first-class century.
Quick Single: Sangakkara falls short of history-making ton
Having been set 266 to win in 51 overs, the task looked like it may prove too great for Selman, who brought up his 50 from 89 balls as the required run-rate mounted and Glamorgan found themselves needing 157 to win from the last 20 overs.
But after helpful cameos from Colin Ingram (42 off 31 balls) and Chris Cooke (31 off 20) reduced the equation to 24 from the last 12 balls, Selman stepped up.
The 21-year-old, who represented Queensland at Under-17 and 19 level before making use of his British passport and pursuing a career in the United Kingdom, helped take 10 off the penultimate over, before hitting back-to-back sixes off the first two balls of the last over.
Selman sealed the game with three balls to spare, finishing unbeaten on 116 off 129 balls, a knock made all the more remarkable by the fact he'd never struck a six in any domestic format coming into the match.
Quick Single: Glamorgan hand reins to hero Hogan
"(Hitting three sixes) was enjoyable, as I had gone 15 games without a maximum," the right-hander told Glamorgan's club website after play.
"Swansea is a happy ground for me, as I scored my first century here last year.
"My role at the start of the innings was to get through the new ball, and to set it up for the others, and it worked perfectly.
"We also rotated the batting order – keeping the left-handers Ingram and (Will) Bragg back, so that the right-handers could cope better with the spinners."
Selman's last hundred at Swansea – against Northamptonshire last year - was also particularly memorable, having batted through the hosts' entire second innings to become the first Glamorgan batsman to carry his bat in more than a decade.
Another Australian, former Test opener Matthew Elliott, had been the most recent Glamorgan batsman to achieve the feat, against Hampshire in 2004.
Glamorgan's win over bottom-placed Durham sees them rise up the Division Two table and now find themselves in fifth spot after five matches.