Ross Taylor in action during his knock of 62 not out © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Pallekele: Oct 1, 2012
Ross Taylor slammed a half-century but New Zealand's ICC World T20 clash against the West Indies ended in a dramatic tie at Pallekele.
Chasing a modest total of 140 to win, New Zealand could manage 139 for seven from their allotted 20 overs at the Pallekele International Stadium.
West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul jolted New Zealand early on, dismissing opener Rob Nicol for eight during their chase.
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill then teamed up to add 33 runs for the second wicket, but their partnership was broken by Samuel Badree, when he cleaned up McCullum for 22.
New Zealand slipped further when Darren Sammy removed Guptill for 21, leaving the Kiwis struggling at 52 for three in the ninth over.
James Franklin, who scored a fluent half-century in New Zealand's last match, failed to convert start into a big score as he fell for 14 off as many balls, leaving the Kiwis in bit of a bother.
All-rounders Jacob Oram and Nathan McCullum failed to contribute with the bat, as they fell for six and five respectively.
Earlier, West Indies squandered a rollicking start provided by Chris Gayle and were bundled out for 139 against New Zealand.
Put in to bat first, the Caribbean side got off to a flier courtesy Gayle’s 14-ball 30, but his dismissal in the sixth over triggered a collapse.
The West Indies were 61 for three when Gayle fell to Tim Southee in the seventh over, and suffered a batting collapse.
Gayle was at his best, clobbering two sixes and three boundaries to race to 30 from 14 balls, before Southee had him caught by Brendon McCullum.
Marlon Samuels provided some resistance in the lowe middle-order, scoring 24 off 22 balls, which included a six and two boundaries as no other batsmen could make a mark.
Brief Scores: West Indies 139 all-out in 19.3 overs (Chris Gayle 30, Kieron Pollard 28, Marlon Samuels 24; Tim Southee 3 for 21, Doug Bracewell 3 for 31) vs New Zealand 139 for 7 in 20 overs (Ross Taylor 62*, Brendon McCullum 22; Sunil Narine 3 for 20)
ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2012: Match time table with group details
