New Zealand v West Indies Match 29 ICC World Cup
Neil Whitaker Reports
NEW Zealand beat the West Indies by five runs with an over to spare to go top of the points table but at one stage it looked like the margin would have been much larger.
At 163 for seven the West Indies needed 129 more to with 27 overs to bat, but the last three wickets added an incredible 124 runs. Carlos Brathwaite whose place in the one day side has been questioned by West Indian fans hit his first one day century and nearly got his side over the line.
With 40 required off four overs Brathwaite couldn’t get the ball away for three balls but then hit a six. In the next over hit eight off the first two balls of Matt Henry’s ninth over. He sliced the next ball for another six. The fourth ball was another full toss which he smashed over extra cover for another six. He top edged the next ball over stumpers Tom Latham’s head for another boundary.
In the next over with eight required Brathwaite faced three dot balls then got a couple to bring up his hundred. He tried to win the match with a six and smashed the next ball but found Trent Boult inches from the long on boundary. Brathwaite and Oshane Thomas added 41 for the last wicket with Brathwaite scoring all of them.
Kumar Roach and Brathwaite added 47, an eighth wicket record partnership in the World Cup for the West Indies and showed those above them what they should have done. It was broken when Roach waved at slow wide ball from Henry and gave Latham his fourth catch of the innings.
Brathwaite brought up his fifty which came from 52 balls with eight fours and a six by courtesy of an overthrow. Sheldon Cottrell was caught in his crease was bowled by Lockie Ferguson after adding 34 in six overs with Brathwaite and making his highest score in the World Cup.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder said: “I am so proud of the guys,full credit to the lower order they made us very proud that we can fight to the end. It was an outstanding game of cricket. Brathwaite produced an outstanding knock and we were all hopeful at the end because at times we were behind the eight ball. We let ourselves down in the middle order when we needed to keep our wickets in tact.
Full credit also to Roach and Brathwaite, their partnership brought us back into the game. We wouldn’t have got to the penultimate over if it hadn’t been for Brathwaite. To restrict New Zealand to 291 was a good effort. The pitch was very flat and both teams lost wickets in clusters.We need to up our fielding and as a team we need to be more consistent.”
The West Indies won the toss and put the Kiwi’s in and came up against Kane Williamson who hit his second consecutive century of the tournament. Following on from his 106 on Wednesday against South Africa, he hit his highest ODI score of 148 beating his 145 made against South Africa at Kimberley in 2013. He came at the fall of the first wicket to the second ball of the match and was fifth man out with three overs to go.
Four balls later he was joined by Ross Taylor with their score at seven for two they went on to add 160. The 160 was New Zealand’s highest partnership of this year’s World Cup, the highest New Zealand third wicket partnership in the World Cup And New Zealand’s second highest ever partnership in the World Cup. It was the 14th time in ODI Cricket that Williamson and Taylor have shared a century partnership, five more than else for New Zealand despite the fact that they have a terrible record for judging singles.
They made a steady start after losing two early wickets and New Zealand only scored 30 in their first powerplay the lowest of the competition so far. But then they gradually upped the ante. Williamson delightfully drove Holder to the extra cover boundary as he and Taylor began to take control. He created room for himself against Brathwaite and clubbed him to the point boundary which prompted Holder to reinforce the off side and put a man on the cover boundary.
He turned Roach off his legs for a single to bring up his 10th ODI fifty in 11 innings. His fifty came from 75 alls and included four fours. Taylor drove the next ball to the long off boundary to bring up his fifty from 68 balls with seven fours.
Wiilliamson walked into a straight drive off Cottrell with no effort for the shot of the day. He drove Thomas over Gayle’s head at extra cover for another boundary.
The partnership was broken when Taylor went down the wicket to Gayle and lofted him over mid off but not over the outstretched hands off Holder. Gayle jumped and punched the air and throwing out his right arm which he then had to rub. Taylor’s 69 came from 95 balls with seven fours.
He was in the nineties for 13 balls before Williamson pulled a short ball from Roach to the fine leg boundary to bring up his first ODI century against the West Indies. His ton came 124 balls in 169 minutes with eight fours.
Williamson late cut Ashley Nurse to the point boundary but it did give the folder Fabian Allen hope of catching it but the ball evaded him. He backed away from Cottrell and got an inside edge to keeper Shai Hope. Umpire Ian nGould wasn’t sure that the ball had carried so he reviewed it with the soft single being out. But the replay showed Hope had grounded it.
By now Williamson was in his grove and clipped Cottrell off his legs for a six over square leg. Williamson got too far a drive and the ball swirled in the air and was in the air for an age before Hope took the catch.
The West Indies won the toss and put New Zealand into bat bat the first time that New Zealand have batted first in this World Cup and they got off to a perfect start with a wicket with the first ball of the match. Cottrell had a dream afternoon, he took four wickets, two catches and created a run out. We saw plenty of his salute.
Opener Martin Guptill missed a full length ball from Cottrell and it hit his pad. The appeal was turned down and the West Indies reviewed which showed it to hitting. Four balls later the day got even better for the West Indies when Colin Munro missed a yorker and was bowled. It was only the second time in World Cup history that both openers have been dismissed for golden ducks.
Cottrell got his third wicket when Latham miscued a pull and the ball went nowhere apart from the air and Cottrell took a simple return catch. Jimmy Neesham was hit on the pads by Cottrell and Colin De Grandhomme set off for a single and was sent back but couldn’t beat Cottrell’s direct hit. For the fifth time we saw Cottrell’s salute but this time he was on one knee.
After adding 21 in two overs Neesham went for another big hit but found that man Cottrell at mid off. Mitchell Santner tried to hit final ball out of Manchester but found,yes Cottrell.
The West Indies chase almost mirrored the Kiwi’s innings,losing a couple of early wickets and then a century plus third wicket stand. They lost their first wicket when Hope chased a wide one from Boult and chopped on. Four overs later Nicholas Pooran top edged a pull off Boult and the ball went miles in the air and stumper Latham took a steeping catch.
Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer gave their fans and the neutrals but the match was turned by two balls from Ferguson. The big universe Gayle got into his stride by clipping Henry off his legs and smashed the next ball over mid wicket for six. In Henry’s next over Gayle top edged a pull and Boult ran from short fine leg but couldn’t take the catch. Gayle stood and delivered the next two balls for two sixes, the first over long on and the second over fine leg.
In their first powerplay the West Indies scored 59 compared to New Zealand’s 30 as Gayle and Hetmyer added 39 in three overs. Their fifty partnership came off 29 balls with two sixes and eight fours.
After nearly been cut in two by two balls from Neesham, Gayle cut the next ball over short third man to the boundary to bring up his fifty from 51balls and included three sixes and five fours.
Consecutive boundaries from Hetmyer off Henry brought up the West Indies hundred up in the 17th over. In the next over Gayle on 59 was dropped by Henry off Santner at deep backward square. Two balls later he thrashed Santner to the mid wicket boundary going through Munro’s hands.
Gayle hit consecutive sixes off Santner over long on, the first one brought up the hundred partnership off 80 balls with four sixes and 13 fours.
Hetmyer also got into the act by clipping Ferguson of his legs for a six over backward square leg to bring up his second fifty of the tournament. His fifty came from 42 balls with eight fours and that six.
Ferguson came back and broke the partnership and changed the match. After adding 122 in 97 balls Hetmyer backed away from Ferguson to cut his slower ball but it clipped his off bail.
Holder tried to drive the next ball but didn’t move his feet and Latham took a low catch. Brathwaite survived the hat trick ball which was short and had to get up to play it down. He died the next ball short and wide off Taylor at slip and it ran to the boundary.
Gayle went for another six but got an outside edge to De Grandhomme’s slower ball and it was in the air for an age before Boult took the catch on the long on boundary. His 87 came from 84 balls and hit six sixes and eight fours.
Williamson replaced Ferguson with Boult and he struck with his second ball. He cramped Nurse up for room who gloved a bouncer and Latham took a diving catch to his left.
Boult took his fourth wicket three balls later when the injured Lewis pulled him to Neesham on the square leg boundary looking into the setting sun. The West Indies had lost five wickets for 22 in 28 balls and the match looked over. After hitting 59 in their first 10 overs, in the next 10 overs they added 71 without losing a wicket and from the 20th to the 30th they only scored another 38 and lost five wickets.