TAROUBA (NNP) Sherfane Rutherford’s explosive innings and Alzarri Joseph’s four-wicket haul guided the West Indies to a narrow victory against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday.
Set to chase a target of 150, New Zealand faltered early, losing two wickets for just 34 runs in 5.4 overs. Finn Allen provided a brief spark with a 23-ball 26 before Gudakesh Motie spun a web around the New Zealand batsmen, claiming three crucial wickets in successive overs to leave the Kiwis struggling at 63-5.
Glenn Phillips and James Neesham attempted to stabilize the innings with a 22-run partnership, but Joseph dismantled their efforts. Phillips top-scored with a valiant 40 off 33 balls, featuring three boundaries and two sixes.
As wickets continued to tumble, New Zealand found themselves needing 33 runs off the final over with just one wicket in hand. Mitchell Santner’s valiant attempt, scoring 19 runs with three sixes, fell short as New Zealand ended at 136/9. Joseph was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies, finishing with figures of 4-19, while Motie supported with three wickets.
Earlier, New Zealand had invited West Indies to bat first and quickly reduced them to 22-4 within the power play, thanks to Tim Southee’s double strike. Nicholas Pooran was the only top-order batsman to make a notable contribution with 17 off 12. Rutherford came to the crease at number six and, alongside Akeal Hosein, began the recovery process with a steady 28-run partnership.
After Hosein’s departure for 15, Rutherford found brief support from Romario Shepherd, adding 27 runs for the eighth wicket. Despite losing partners at the other end, Rutherford unleashed a flurry of boundaries and sixes, scoring an unbeaten 68 off 39 balls. His innings featured two boundaries and six sixes, pushing West Indies to a competitive 149-9 in 20 overs. Trent Boult was the standout bowler for New Zealand with figures of 3-16, while Southee and Lockie Ferguson took two wickets each.
This thrilling encounter sees West Indies edge closer to the knockout stages, thanks to the stellar performances of Rutherford and Joseph.
