Calypso singer David Rudder played Rally ’Round the West Indies — the West Indies national anthem — live at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, its rousing lyrics and tropical melody providing an uplifting backdrop as Rovman Powell’s men sailed into the Super Eight of this year’s T20 World Cup with a come-from-behind 13-run win against New Zealand, whose hopes of reaching the next round now hang by a thread.
Adversity is known to test character. It can provoke reactions ranging from panic and hysteria to composure and steel. Over the course of its adequately challenging 150-run chase on Wednesday night, the New Zealand batting order showed itself to be skittish at best as West Indies spinners, especially left-arm orthodox Gudakesh Motie, delivered a brilliant chokehold on a two-paced pitch. His three for 25, coupled with Alzarri Joseph’s four-for and Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 39-ball 68 snuffed the life out of the Kiwi challenge.
Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips were the only two to show a semblance of fight. Credit must be given to Powell as well for his smart bowling changes. With the onset of dew, Powell kept bowling his spinners in tandem through the middle overs to not only exploit the favourable matchups but also get a major chunk of their overs out of the way before the ball got too wet and difficult to grip.
After New Zealand chose to bowl, with home fans peering in to watch West Indies’ first-ever men’s World Cup match at the Brian Lara Stadium, the pitch made its two-paced nature felt. Nicholas Pooran saw a short ball, outside off, looked to swipe at it, but the ball got big on him, and the leading edge rested with ‘keeper Devon Conway.
Soon, the dual bounce would become apparent too. In Jimmy Neesham’s second over, Akeal Hosein had to deal with a shooter, which skidded through and came on quicker than the previous deliveries. Next over, Hosein was caught off one from Mitchell Santner that held in the surface and spun into him.
AS IT HAPPENED - West Indies vs New Zealand Highlights
In between the two wickets, which can be credited to the pitch, there were dismissals that were a result of overambitious shot-making. West Indies lost four for 10 to be 30 for five in the seventh over.
Kane Williamson, having sussed out the conditions quickly, waited until the ninth over to introduce spin, instead choosing to go with Neesham’s slower balls and cutters, which proved effective.
Andre Russell came out and swung for the hills, trying to wrest the advantage back in the company of Rutherford. But Trent Boult put an end to that when he flummoxed Russell with an off-pace delivery to have him caught at short-third.
Sherfane Rutherford of West Indies reacts after reaching his fifty during the match between West Indies and New Zealand. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Fielding is often a good barometer of where a team is at. Against Afghanistan, New Zealand struggled with both ground fielding and catching. However, on Wednesday night, it excelled in all aspects, looking like the smooth fielding unit it is known to be until Rutherford decided to come to the party.
If not for his rearguard act, which included three powerful sixes off Daryl Mitchell in the 19th over, the host side would have folded for a much lower total.
Williamson took a gamble by having Mitchell bowl the penultimate over, allowing the left-handed Rutherford to face the left-armer Santner in the final over. Hitting with the wind and towards a shorter square boundary to his leg-side, Rutherford capitalised on the opportunity. His 37-run last-wicket stand with Motie — a T20 World Cup record — ensured the Windies smacked 58 in the last five. In hindsight, Rutherford had just turned the match on its head.
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