Why try to understand cricket?

With a wry grin on his face, Otago captain Craig Cumming commented late today that cricket is not a game that one should try to understand.

Cumming's men had just completed an unlikely victory over Central Districts, winning by nine runs after looking all over a well-thrashed team just an hour and a half earlier.

Otago scored 243, and Central could only reach 234 after reaching 154 before losing a wicket. Cumming suggested it's difficult to try to understand just what happens in cricket. Two games ago Otago blew what appeared a certain winning chance against Wellington.

Now they savoured cricket from, the other side of the coin.

"It's the opposite feeling to what we had when we played Wellington. It was unbelievable how we could lose that - now it's unbelievable how we could win this.

"I suppose it was pressure. We managed to get a couple of wickets and put some pressure on, and our bowlers did a whole better at the end than they did at the start," Cumming said, "and the ball started to reverse.

"It's a funny game. I don't think you should ever try to work it out because I don't think you can."

Cumming believed the loss of momentum by Central after Jesse Ryder (61) and Craig Spearman (97) were dismissed was vital in achieving Otago's ultimate win.

"We talk about keeping momentum going with our batting. When we put a stop to their momentum, it allowed us to claw our way back into it. Funny things happen."