Published: Jun 13, 2024, 11:01 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 13, 2024, 11:01 AM (IST)
Trinidad & Tobago: West Indies squared-off against New Zealand in a match where a win would see them qualify for Super 8. The Windies came into this match having four points thanks to wins over Papua New Guinea and Uganda respectively. On the other hand, New Zealand had suffered a hammering defeat in their last match at the hands of Afghanistan. A win in this match was crucial for the Kiwis as anything other than that would make a severe dent on their Super 8 chances. The match was played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad & Tobago.
New Zealand won the toss and decided to field first. West Indies suffered a disappointing start as opener Johnson Charles got dismissed for a duck in the first over of the match by Trent Boult. The likes of Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase and Rovman Powell also lost their wickets cheaply as New Zealand restricted West Indies to 30/5.
It looked as if the Windies would be bundled out for less than 100 runs but Sherfane Rutherford had other plans. He formed decent partnerships with the middle order batsmen, but his stand of 37 runs with bowler Gudakesh Motie was the most impressive as he smashed the bowlers around the park in the last few overs. Thanks to Rutherford’s brilliant knock of 68, the Windies reached a total of 149/9 in 20 overs. Boult was the best bowler for New Zealand as he not only took 3 wickets but also only gave 16 runs in his quota of 4 overs.
In reply, the Kiwis also didn’t have a very good start. They lost both their openers at the score of 34 and Motie took the huge wicket of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson which turned the match into the favor of the Windies. Glenn Phillips played a decent knock of 40 before he too lost his wicket to Alzarri Joseph. Mitchell Santner also played a cameo of 21 but it wasn’t enough as the Kiwis finished their 20 overs at 136/9. Jospeh and Motie both were the star performers as they took 4 and 3 wickets respectively.
With this 13-run victory, the Windies made it three wins out of three and secured their place in the Super 8. On the other hand, after this defeat there are chances that New Zealand will not make it to the Super 8 as not only do they have 0 points in their group but their net run-rate is also quite bad.
