WI Vs NZ: The 26th match of the T20 World Cup 2024 was played between West Indies and New Zealand at Brain Lara Stadium in Trinidad. The co-host of this ICC mega event of the shortest format won this fixture of Group C and also progressed to the super eight round of this T20I tournament in 2024.
Along with the Caribbeans, India, Australia and South Africa have cemented their spots in the super eight round of this year’s T20 World Cup in 2024. While the Kiwis, New Zealand haven’t been that team yet and they will have to win both of their last encounters to stay alive in this World Cup event of the shortest format.
WI Vs NZ: Sherfane Rutherford’s Unbeaten 68 Run Knock Took West Indies To 149 Runs In Their 20 Overs –Â
After their loss against Afghanistan, New Zealand started this match pretty well. But they couldn’t end it in the winning ways. The Blackcaps won the toss and elected to bowl first in Trinidad. Trent Boult was good with the new ball and picked up a wicket in his very first over of the match. Johnson Charles was out on a good duck and West Indies kept on losing wickets at the other end.
The power hitters of the Windies side like Rovman Powell, Brandon King and Andre Russell didn’t show enough firepower in their innings. Sherfane Rutherford held the one end up and scored a gusty and unbeaten half-century and West Indies posted 149 runs only because of Rutherford’s unbeaten knock of 68 runs.
Nicholas Pooran was the second-highest run scorer in this game with just 17 runs and there were some other contributions from others as well. Akeal Hosein scored 15 runs, Russell scored 14 runs Romario Shepard scored just 13 runs, which took the Caribbean side to a decent score after their allotted 20 overs quota.
Trent Boult was the stand-out bowler from the Kiwis team. He picked up the first wicket of the West Indies when their score was just one run and that’s what started the procession of wickets. Boult picked up the most wickets in this match. He got three wickets to his name while Tim Southee and Lockie Fergusson got 2 scalps each to their names. James Neesham and Mitchell Santner took one wicket each in this encounter.
WI Vs NZ: Alzarri Joseph Picked Up A Four Wicket Haul And Helped The Windies To Restrict New Zealand To 136 Runs In 20 OversÂ
New Zealand’s batting has gone down twice in two matches during this T20 World Cup in 2024. Against the Afghans, they were bundled out for just 75 runs in 15.2 overs and also lost that match by a whopping margin of 84 runs. In this encounter as well, the Kiwis didn’t start well in the run chase of a modest total of 150 runs.
Like the host West Indies, The Blackcaps also lost wickets at regular intervals. The main strays of New Zealand’s side, Skipper Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway and James Neesham couldn’t do much in this match. It was Glenn Philips who tried to steady the sinking ship with a score of 40 runs to his name.
Finn Allen was the second batsman who got to the double digits with Mitchell Santner. Allen scored 26 runs while Santner was not out on 21 runs. For the Windies, it was Alzarri Joesph who picked up a four-wicket haul in this match and that helped the home side to restrict the Kiwis to the score of 136 runs in their allotted twenty overs quota.
West Indies won this match by 13 runs and also qualified for the Super Eight Round in this T20 World Cup in 2024. Sherfane Rutherford won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant and unbeaten knock of 68 runs from just 39 deliveries. Due to this innings, West Indies scored a decent total on the board and won the game as well.
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