WI vs NZ | Rutherford's power-hitting brilliance and Alzarri’ s four-fer cruise West Indies into Super 8s

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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West Indies beat New Zealand by 13 runs in their Group C clash in Trinidad. Sherfane Rutherford's blistering 68 off 39 balls propelled West Indies to 149/9 in 20 overs whereas the Kiwi batters faltered in their chase, failing to build substantial partnerships, which dashed their hopes of Super 8.

‌The Trinidad and Tobago leg of the ICC World T20 saw the West Indies clash with New Zealand in a pivotal Group C match. Coming off a humiliating defeat to Afghanistan, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson opted to field first after winning the toss. The decision paid immediate dividends as Trent Boult dismissed Johnson Charles in the opening over, followed by Tim Southee sending Nicholas Pooran back in the fourth over. The hosts' troubles deepened as they lost Roston Chase and Rovman Powell within the powerplay, leaving the score at a dire 23/4 in six overs. New Zealand's bowlers maintained their dominance, with James Neesham removing Brandon King in the seventh over. At the halfway mark, the West Indies struggled at 49/5 with Sherfane Rutherford and Akeal Hosein at the crease, desperately needing a turnaround. The departure of Hosein in the 11th over brought Andre Russell to the middle, and he briefly shifted the momentum by smashing 17 runs in the 12th over. However, his fireworks were short-lived as Boult struck again in the 13th over, reducing the score to 76/7. Despite the setbacks, Rutherford kept fighting. Following Romario Shepherd’s dismissal, he scored 107/8 by the end of the 17th over. Rutherford’s resilience shone through as he reached a half-century off 33 balls, hammering 19 runs in the 19th over to boost the score to 131/9. In a thrilling finish, Rutherford added 18 more runs in the final over, concluding with a valiant 68 off 39 deliveries, and helping the West Indies reach a respectable 149/9 in their 20 overs.

In reply, New Zealand started decently with Finn Allen and Devon Conway reaching 12/0 after two overs. However, Akeal Hosein continued his impressive form from the previous game by dismissing Conway in the third over. The Kiwis' innings faltered further as they lost Allen, Kane Williamson, and Rachin Ravindra quickly, reducing them to 55/4 by the ninth over. Gudakesh Motie continued to trouble the batsmen, claiming three wickets including the dismissal of Daryl Mitchell in the 11th over, leaving New Zealand struggling at 63/5. The middle-order partnerships eluded the visitors, and despite efforts from Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult, New Zealand only managed to score 85/5 by the 15th over. Alzarri Joseph's strikes removed James Neesham, Glenn Philips, and Tim Southee, further dampening New Zealand's batting as they were reduced to 108/8 by the 18th over. With 42 runs required from the last two overs, hopes rested on Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult to steer New Zealand towards victory. However, Andre Russell dismissed Boult in the 19th over, tilting the match in favour of West Indies. Requiring an improbable 33 runs from the final over, New Zealand's chances dwindled with Lockie Ferguson, the last batsman, at the crease. Ultimately, New Zealand could only manage 136/9 runs in their 20 overs. With a 13-run victory, West Indies secured qualification for the Super 8 stage.

Big win for Winides!

What a match!

Brilliant win!

Hahahah! LOL! 🤣🤣🤣

He came outta no where!

May be!

That's IPL for you!

Big performers of the day!

Thala for a reason!

He took it very close!

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