The West Indies were on the wrong end of a second nail-biter in a row against New Zealand on Thursday, November 6, as they fell by a mere 3 runs in Auckland. The defeat sees the Black Caps level the five-match T20 international series 1-1.
New Zealand batted first and put up a mammoth first innings total, scoring 207 from their 20 overs. This total was led by a blitz from Mark Chapman who scored a stunning 78 runs off 28 balls, following a slow start from the hosts. Most of the West Indian bowlers were put under the pump, with Roston Chase finishing the pick of the lot at two wickets for 33 runs.
The West Indies’ top order struggled to get going for extended periods. The loss of wickets in regular intervals saw the Men in Maroon reeling at 93-6 with seemingly little hope. However, a remarkable recovery led by Rovman Powell, who scored 45 runs off 16 balls, and Romario Shepherd’s 34 runs off 16 deliveries lifted the team within touching distance of an unlikely win. With 6 runs required off the last 4 deliveries of the game in an over bowled by Kyle Jamieson, neutral followers would have been backing the Windies to pull it off, particularly since Jamieson had been hit for two 4s in his first few deliveries. However, the pace bowler held his nerve, bagging the massive wicket of Powell and also got Matthew Forde out, who played well for his 29 runs off 13 deliveries.
West Indian skipper Shai Hope applauded his team’s effort and indicated they must improve in order to be successful going forward.
“That was too close, you know. It was unfortunate that we didn’t cross the line this time. Credit must be given to Chapman for the way he played that innings; he kind of took the game away from us. We didn’t really finish as well as we wanted to with the ball or the bat. There are a few little areas where we can be better, especially at the top, -myself included. But there was a great fight shown by Powell, Shepherd and Forde to give us a good chance to win that game.”
The West Indies will look to recover in the next game played on Saturday, November 8, which begins at 8:15 PM AST.
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