Sherfane Rutherford’s remarkable rescue attempt secured West Indies’ third consecutive win in the T20 World Cup 2024. Now, New Zealand is on the edge of elimination at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
With this win, the co-hosts earned a Super Eight spot. New Zealand’s fast bowlers dominated proceedings in the powerplay, leaving the West Indies four down in the first innings.
Rutherford received little support as the West Indies fell to 112 for 9 after 18 overs, but he scored 37 runs in the final two overs to propel the co-hosts to 149. Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, and Akeal Hosein took the ball next, and New Zealand lost their second game in a row.
West Indies’s Early Struggles in the Powerplay
Rutherford found himself in uncharted territory after the West Indies top order collapsed, stepping in to bat in the sixth over. For the second time in his T20I career, he faced a ball in the power play.
However, he spent his time in partnerships with Hosein, Andre Russell, and Romario Shepherd. For a long time, his sole boundary strokes were two sixes off Mitchell Santner and James Neesham drag-downs, but he finally broke loose in the final two overs.
New Zealand took a gamble by using up their finest frontline bowlers early, handing Daryl Mitchell the penultimate over and Santner the last. On his way to a 33-ball half-century, he then struck Santner for two fours and a magnificent six slog-swept from wide of off over wide long-on.
With 37 runs in the final two overs, West Indies managed to reach 149, a score that seemed unachievable for much the whole of their innings.
Trent Boult was the one who turned heads early in the game. Having asked the West Indies to bat, Boult’s wicket of Johnson Charles, who sliced one onto his stumps, gave New Zealand a breakthrough in the opening over.
Pooran and Southee’s Duel | West Indies
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To thunderous cheers, Nicholas Pooran emerged, and it took him three balls to get the maiden boundary with a driving edge for the West Indies beyond short third. With the boundary, Pooran also overtook Chris Gayle as the West Indies’ top run scorer in men’s Twenty20 Internationals.
Then came a cat-and-mouse match between Pooran and Tim Southee, one of three players New Zealand brought in to replace the team that had lost to Afghanistan the previous week.
Pooran hit two fours in a string of four balls, was dropped by Mitchell in between the two boundary strokes, and was eventually caught by the seamer. As Southee dug in a short ball, Pooran attempted to take him on for a third boundary of the over, but the bowler skied the ball to wicketkeeper Conway, who was trailing a swirling ball.
In ten runs, the West Indies lost four wickets, the first being Pooran. Southee had Rovman Powell inching ahead of him when Chase misjudged a duck and miscued Lockie Ferguson. After Brandon King left in the eighth over, they quickly went from being 20 for 1 to 30 for 5.
With two overs remaining, Ferguson and Boult removed Shepherd and Joseph with low deliveries, and New Zealand was the relieved team. However, they were unprepared for Rutherford’s ability to alter the course of the match on his own and give the West Indies the advantage at halftime, aided by the enthusiasm of a raucous Brian Lara Stadium.
About the Author
Zartash Zulfiqar is a passionate cricket writer whose love for cricket shines through in every word. From match analyses to player profiles, she delivers insightful commentary that resonates with fans worldwide. Stay tuned for the latest from the world of cricket, brought to you by Zartash.
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