World Cup 2019: West Indies vs New Zealand Match Report
World Cup 2019- West Indies vs New Zealand: Carlos Brathwaite’s magical century goes in vain as New Zealand win a high scoring thriller.
WEST INDIES VS NEW ZEALAND SCORECARD
New Zealand: 291-8 in 50 overs | Winner
Kane Williamson: 148(154) | Ross Taylor: 69(95) | Sheldon Cottrell: 4-56
West Indies: 286-10 in 49 overs | Lost by 5 runs
Carlos Brathwaite: 101(82) | Chris Gayle: 87(84) | Trent Boult: 4-30
Player of the Match: Kane Williamson
MATCH SUMMARY:
‘Remember the name! ‘, Yes, that voice and that moment started echoing in my head as I saw Carlos Brathwaite almost pulling off an incredible chase for yet another time.
This time too, It was Ion Bishop in the commentary box, as we all dreamt with Carlos Brathwaite together.
But, the dream, the chase, the grit couldn’t end on a positive note as Carlos Brathwaite and our dream fell short of the target just like the distance between his catch and the boundary rope.
Nevertheless, It was an incredible batting performance from Brathwaite, who made everyone believe that West Indies can chase 292 after being 164-7 after 27 overs.
Earlier, batting first, New Zealand had a horrible start. Both the openers fell for a golden duck in what has been the rarest of the rare occasions in the history of Cricket.
But, Kane Williamson stood rock solid for probably the umpteenth time as he scored a magnificent century to help New Zealand reach a competitive total of 291-8 in 50 overs.
Sheldon Cotrell for West Indies was the pick of the bowlers with his spell of 4-56. He also accounted for 3 superb catches and a run-out.
THE CHASE:
292 wasn’t going to be an easy task for the batting line-up that has struggled in this tournament.
After losing Shai hope early on, Hetmyer and Chris Gayle brought their firepower out as they toyed the New Zealand bowling attack. Hetmyer scored a valuable 54(45), while Gayle scored fabulous 87(84).
Being 142-2 after 22 overs, it looked as if West Indies’ T20 approach was working. However, Hetmyer’s wicket changed the equation drastically as West Indies nosedived to 164-7 after 36.5 overs.
Only magic could have saved West Indies from drowning, and Carlos Brathwaite provided exactly the same. He single-handedly scored 87 of the remaining 123 runs to take West Indies closer to the dream.
His 24 runs off Matt Henry’s 47th over did give a glimpse of his epic knock in the World T20 finals against England, and it looked he would repeat the history. But, an attempted pull saw Trent Boult take a stunning catch just inches away from the ground.
Maybe ‘Remember the Name’ couldn’t recreate the magic that night, but ‘Remember the Game’ surely did.
Carlos Brathwaite’s incredible knock of 101(82) would certainly go down as one of the best knocks in a losing case in World Cups.
WHAT WENT WRONG FOR WEST INDIES?
- The approach, the lack of big partnerships and the mindset of a T20 game. This has happened on numerous occasions for West Indies.
- West Indies bowlers’ inability to put pressure in the middle-over as they missed a wicket-taking bowler yet another time.
NEXT MATCH:
Match 30: PAKISTAN VS SOUTH AFRICA
Place: London
Date: June 23, 2019
Time: 3 pm IST
A battle of survival as two wounded teams meet in a must-win encounter.
ALSO READ: World Cup 2019: Semi-final qualification scenarios for all the teams
Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics.
Cricket to him is like what ‘Football is to Lionel Messi’, ‘Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar’, ‘Dancing is to Michael Jackson’, and what ‘Acting is to Clint Eastwood’.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
