Knews Desk– West Indies performed brilliantly in the last match of the five-match ODI series against New Zealand and won by 2 wickets. However, despite this victory, the host team could not win the series, because New Zealand had already taken an unassailable lead by winning the first three matches. In this way, the Kiwi team won the series 3-2, while the West Indies saved the honor by winning the last match.
In this match played in Bridgetown, New Zealand, batting first, scored 268 runs at the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs. The team had a good start and opener Will Young played a useful inning of 56 runs. After this, Nick Kelly scored 64 runs, while captain Tom Latham played a responsible inning of 69 runs to take the team to a strong score. However, in the last overs, the West Indies bowlers came back and curbed the run rate, due to which New Zealand could not reach the 300 mark. This match was special for New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, because he was playing his 300th international match. But on this memorable occasion his bat did not work and he was out after scoring only 13 runs. Santner, who performed brilliantly in the last match, could not play a big innings for the team this time.
West Indies, which set out to chase the target of 269 runs, did not have a very strong start. The team was under pressure due to the early fall of early wickets. But after this, Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford took control of the innings and attacked the New Zealand bowlers. Both the batsmen completely changed the course of the match by making a fast-paced partnership in just 90 balls. Hetmyer batted aggressively and scored a brilliant half-century. He hit big shots in his innings and scored runs all around the field. On the other hand, Rutherford also supported him very well. Both the batsmen together hit a total of 9 sixes and spoiled the rhythm of the Kiwi bowlers. Their explosive partnership took West Indies to the threshold of victory.
However, West Indies lost some wickets in the last overs, which made the match exciting. New Zealand tried to make a comeback, but the hosts maintained their composure and achieved the target with 2 wickets remaining. With this victory, West Indies ended the series on a positive note. Even though the trophy went to New Zealand, West Indies’ batting in the last match showed that the team has the ability to make a great comeback even under pressure. Especially the match-winning partnership between Hetmyer and Rutherford was the biggest feature of this match. On the other hand, New Zealand performed balanced throughout the series and won the series 3-2 and successfully ended the Caribbean tour.
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