West Indies qualified for the Super Eights of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 after defeating New Zealand by 13 runs at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Thursday.
Batting first, West Indies set a target of 150 runs, led by a resilient knock from Sherfane Rutherford. Gudakesh Motie and Alzarri Joseph then spearheaded the Caribbean bowling attack to restrict New Zealand’s chase.
New Zealand’s innings struggled from the start. Devon Conway (5 runs from 8 balls) and Finn Allen (26 runs from 23 balls) opened but could only muster a 20-run partnership before Conway was dismissed by Akeal Hosein in the third over. Allen, despite a strong start, fell to Alzarri Joseph in the sixth over.
The Kiwis could only manage 36 runs in the powerplay while losing two crucial wickets. After the powerplay, Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson (1 run from 2 balls) was dismissed by Motie, leading to further troubles for New Zealand.
Contributions from Rachin Ravindra (10 runs), Daryl Mitchell (12 runs), and James Neesham (10 runs) were insufficient against a disciplined West Indies bowling attack. Glenn Phillips provided some resistance with a 40-run knock but was dismissed by Joseph in the 18th over, which also saw Tim Southee fall for a golden duck.
Andre Russell removed Trent Boult in the 19th over, and despite Mitchell Santner’s late effort (20 runs from 11 balls), New Zealand could not close the gap, ending at 136/9. Joseph finished with impressive figures of 4/19, while Motie took 3/25.
Earlier, West Indies’ innings saw an early collapse as they were reduced to 30/5, but Rutherford’s unbeaten 68 off 39 balls helped them reach 149/9 in 20 overs. Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand with 3/16.
Brief Scores
West Indies: 149/9 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 68*, Nicholas Pooran 17, Akeal Hosein 15; Trent Boult 3/16)
New Zealand: 136/9 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 40, Finn Allen 26, Mitchell Santner 21*; Alzarri Joseph 4/19)
