Sherfane Rutherford's explosive unbeaten 68 and Alzarri Joseph's impressive four-wicket haul steered West Indies to a Super Eight berth in the T20 World Cup with a hard-fought 13-run victory over New Zealand on Thursday (IST).
Having won all their Group C matches, West Indies will now face Afghanistan in their final group stage encounter. Meanwhile, New Zealand find themselves on the brink of elimination after suffering back-to-back defeats.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, New Zealand's decision initially paid off as their pacers reduced West Indies to a precarious 30/5 within 6.3 overs. However, Rutherford's superb innings, embellished with six sixes and two fours, rescued his side from the early collapse. Contributions from Akeal Hosein (15), Andre Russell (14), Romario Shepherd (13), and Alzarri Joseph (6) towards the end helped West Indies reach 149/9 in their allotted 20 overs at Brian Lara Stadium.
Trent Boult was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with figures of 3-16, while Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson chipped in with two wickets each.
In response, New Zealand lost opener Devon Conway early, courtesy of Hosein, and despite Finn Allen's brisk 26, they could only manage 36/2 at the end of the powerplay. The middle order struggled to build partnerships as Joseph and Gudakesh Motie tightened the screws with crucial breakthroughs.
Glenn Phillips fought valiantly with a well-made 40 off 33 deliveries, but Joseph's consistent strikes (4-19) and Motie's disciplined bowling (3-25) ensured West Indies maintained control. Despite Mitchell Santner's late cameo (21* off 12 balls), New Zealand fell short, finishing at 136/9 after their 20 overs.
With this result, West Indies secured their place in the next round with a comprehensive all-round performance, while New Zealand's chances in the tournament now hang by a thread.
Brief scores: West Indies 149/9 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 68*, Nicholas Pooran 17; Trent Boult 3-16, Tim Southee 2-21) beat New Zealand 136/9 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 40, Finn Allen 26; Alzarri Joseph 4-19, Gudakesh Motie 3-25) by 13 runs.
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