- West Indies beat world number one New Zealand by five wickets in the opening ODI of their series on Wednesday thanks to a 79-run knock from Shamarh Brooks and a 75-run partnership with skipper Nicholas Pooran.
- Earlier, the West Indies bowled out New Zealand for 190 in 45.2 overs after electing to bowl in the first of three ODIs at the Kensington Oval.
- Yet he had no one to back him up as New Zealand collapsed to 88-4 after the early dismissals of Devon Conway (4) and Tom Latham (12).Williamson and Daryl Mitchell’s 28-run fifth-wicket stand showed promise, but they were both dismissed by Joseph in the 30th over.
- Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner put up 40 runs for the seventh wicket, but it wasn’t enough to turn the contest in New Zealand’s advantage.
- It’s a testament to the West Indies’ bowling attack.
West Indies beat world number one New Zealand by five wickets in the opening ODI of their series on Wednesday thanks to a 79-run knock from Shamarh Brooks and a 75-run partnership with skipper Nicholas Pooran.
With the West Indies closing in on New Zealand’s insufficient total of 190, Brooks completed his fourth ODI half century from 58 balls and had faced 91 deliveries when he was out in the 34th over.
At the time of the home team’s successful chase, Jason Holder (13) and Jermaine Blackwood (12) were at the crease.
Earlier, the West Indies bowled out New Zealand for 190 in 45.2 overs after electing to bowl in the first of three ODIs at the Kensington Oval. Akeal Hosein got 3-28 while Alzarri Joseph returned 3-36.
New Zealand hadn’t been bowled out in a 50-over match since March of 2020.
In a televised interview, Brooks remarked, “Watching the Kiwis bat, I recognised it was a bit tough going early for them.” I suppose our bowlers deserve some of the glory for keeping them to 190.
“I was intent on venturing forward, forming alliances, and knocking that sum off,” he said.
Even though the West Indies’ innings were interrupted by rain, Brooks kept things moving along steadily. Both occurred in the 29th over of the inning, with the West Indies needing only 42 runs to win. By that moment, the West Indies had amassed a large enough lead using the Duckworth-Lewis method to guarantee victory.
After the second rain delay, Pooran was caught lbw for 28, but Brooks continued to exert a firm leading hand in the run chase.
The middle overs of the New Zealand innings were turned by the precision bowling of Hosein, Joseph, and rookie spinners Kevin Sinclair and Yannic Carriah on a pitch that favoured spinners with bounce.
Martin Guptill and Finn Allen put up 41 runs for the opening stand of the New Zealand innings, with Allen smashing two sixes and a four off of Holder’s bowling in the seventh over.
After a brief rain delay at the conclusion of the eighth over, Allen was dismissed for 25 off of four balls upon the return. After that point, New Zealand consistently lost wickets and had trouble putting together the partnerships they needed to post a respectable score.
Pooran rushed back and held onto the ball as it came over his shoulder to catch Hosein’s first victim, Allen.
New Zealand was 53-2 when Guptill was out in the following over from Hosein, caught by Kyle Mayers at slip for 24.
New Zealand’s captain, Kane Williamson, batted for an effort at a comeback, scoring 34 runs off of 50 deliveries. Yet he had no one to back him up as New Zealand collapsed to 88-4 after the early dismissals of Devon Conway (4) and Tom Latham (12).
Williamson and Daryl Mitchell’s 28-run fifth-wicket stand showed promise, but they were both dismissed by Joseph in the 30th over.
Mitchell was out for 20 after facing 32 balls, and Williamson soon after.
Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner put up 40 runs for the seventh wicket, but it wasn’t enough to turn the contest in New Zealand’s advantage. To get his maiden wicket in ODIs, Carriah caught Bracewell lbw after he scored 31 runs off 33 balls. The nine overs bowled by the Trinidadian wrist spinner yielded a total of 1-49.
The New Zealand squad usually relies on its lower tier to come to the rescue, but this time they offered no resistance. When Santner was out for 25, the score was 189-8 and the last two wickets fell easily.
Getting into a groove and building up speed was difficult, as Williamson put it. It’s a testament to the West Indies’ bowling attack. They made the most of the pitch, carried out their strategies effectively, and turned forth a fine display of cricket.
On Friday, the same stadium will host game two.
