Kiwis punish wayward West Indies
Published: Monday | December 29, 2008
New Zealand's Jesse Ryder hits the ball to the boundary against the West Indies in a Twenty/20 cricket match at Seddon Park in Hamilton, New Zealand, yesterday. - AP
HAMILTON, New Zealand (CMC):
Propelled by robust half-centuries from Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum, New Zealand comfortably beat an erratic West Indies by 36 runs in the second Twenty20 International yesterday and draw their two-match series 1-1.
Ryder smashed 62 from 41 balls, while McCullum clobbered a characteristic 59 from 34 balls, to form the foundation of the Black Caps' 191 for nine off their allotted 20 overs, after winning the toss and batting at Seddon Park.
West Indies never recovered from a sluggish start and despite Ramnaresh Sarwan's 53 off just 36 balls, were never really in the hunt and subsided to 155 for seven.
The series finished in a stalemate after the Windies won the opening T20I at Eden Park on Friday night.
Looking to make amends for that disappointment, New Zealand snatched control of the match in an 11-over blitz at the start of their innings and though they eventually lost their way, their bowlers ensured the tourists would not capitalise.
Frenetic opening stand
Ryder and McCullum shared a frenetic opening stand of 130 off just 70 balls, which stunned West Indies and gave the hosts the perfect start as they sought a series-levelling win.
The left-handed Ryder, the heavyset Wellington batsman, cracked seven fours and three sixes, while right-handed McCullum, striking the ball cleanly and with lavish abandon, hammered six fours and four sixes.
After they departed, however, the innings plunged into a tailspin and the Black Caps lost their next nine wickets for 61 runs in the space of 50 balls.
The Windies bowlers were loose early on and boundaries flowed freely as both openers gathered runs at will. While 21 runs came from the first three overs, Ryder and McCullum increased their tempo and the next two cost 28 as New Zealand accelerated to 49 without loss.
McCullum took leg-side boundaries off the first two balls of the fourth over from fast bowler Jerome Taylor, before depositing the fifth delivery over square leg for the first of his sixes.
He continued his rampage in the next over smashing left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn for a straight six and a pulled four, in the bowler's opening over.
OWN INEPTITUDE
West Indies were left cursing their own ineptitude after Kieron Pollard put down Ryder off Benn at mid-off when the batsman had made just 16, with New Zealand on 37 without loss in the fifth over.
He rode his luck well, belting the first ball of pacer Fidel Edwards' second over for a straight six and lifting the third over mid-wicket for four. McCullum quickly joined in, pulling the right-armer for sixes over square leg in an over that cost 24.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul snared McCullum low down at cover off off-spinner Chris Gayle in the 12th to halt the hosts' progress and when the dangerous Ross Taylor (6) fell to an astonishing catch by Xavier Marshall sprinting around the deep mid-wicket boundary in the next over by Pollard, the innings went into decline.
Ryder swatted Gayle to Sarwan at long on three balls later with the score on 142 and New Zealand quickly slumped to 164 for six in the 18th as wickets tumbled and runs dried up.
James Franklin, the only other batsman to reach double figures, stroked a cameo 11-ball 20 with one four and two sixes, to rally a wilting tail.
Gayle (2-27), Pollard (2-29) and Taylor (2-29) all finished with two wickets apiece.
NEVER RECOVERED
In their turn at the crease, West Indies never recovered from losing their inspirational captain Gayle for just one and failed to mount a serious threat to the Kiwis total.
The left-handed Jamaican, who almost single-handedly won West Indies the opening match, held out to Jacob Oram in the deep in the second over off debutant seamer Ewen Thompson, to leave his side five for one.
Sarwan, missing with the bat for perhaps the entire series, finally awoke from his slumber to play enterprisingly, counting three fours and three sixes as he tried to be West Indies' hero.
He dominated a second wicket stand of 44 off 29 balls with Xavier Marshall who scored 10, but could find no real meaningful support.
When Marshall fell, Chanderpaul (5), Shawn Findlay (13) and Sarwan quickly followed to leave the Windies in strife at 87 for five in the 13th over.
Pollard, with a typically aggressive 38 and Denesh Ramdin, a rapid 30, then hinted at the miraculous with a scintillating, sixth wicket stand of 68 off just 40 balls.
The right-handed Pollard struck four fours and two sixes off 24 deliveries, while Ramdin chipped in with four boundaries off 21 balls, but the target proved beyond their reach.
Off-spinner Jeetan Patel grabbed two for 12 and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, two for 19, to lead the Kiwis attack.
NEW ZEALAND
| J Ryder c Sarwan b Gayle | 62 |
| +B McCullum c Chanderpaul | |
| b Gayle | 59 |
| R Taylor c Marshall b Pollard | 6 |
| J Oram run out | 9 |
| D Flynn c wkp Ramdin b Pollard | 3 |
| J Franklin c Findlay b Benn | 20 |
| D Vettori b Taylor | 2 |
| K Mills b Taylor | 6 |
| E Thompson not out | 1 |
| T Southee run out | 2 |
| Extras (b12, lb4, w5) | 21 |
| TOTAL (9 wkts, 20 overs) | 191 |
Did not bat: J Patel. Fall of wickets: 1-130 (McCullum, 11.4 ov), 2-139 (Taylor, 12.4), 3-142 (Ryder, 13.1), 4-152 (Flynn, 15), 5-161 (Oram, 16.2), 6-164 (Vettori, 17.1), 7-184 (Franklin, 18.5), 8-189 (Mills, 19.3), 9-191 (Southee, 20). Bowling: Baker 2 -0-14-0, Taylor 4-0-29-2 (w1), Benn 4-0-45-1, Edwards 2-0-31-0 (w1), Gayle 4-0-27-2, Pollard 4-0-29-2. WEST INDIES (Target 192 off 20 overs) C Gayle c Oram b Thompson | 1 |
| R Sarwan c Southee b Oram | 53 |
| X Marshall c Flynn b Southee | 10 |
| S Chanderpaul c Oram b Vettori | 5 |
| S Findlay b Vettori | 13 |
| +D Ramdin c Taylor b Patel | 30 |
| J Taylor not out | 0 |
| S Benn not out | 0 |
| Extras (lb3, w2) | 5 |
| TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs) | 155 |
Did not bat: F Edwards, L Baker. Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Gayle, 1.2), 2-49 (Marshall, 6.1), 3-64 (Chanderpaul, 7.4), 4-87 (Findlay, 11.3), 5-87 (Sarwan, 12.3), 6-155 (Ramdin, 19.1), 7-155 (Pollard, 19.3). Bowling: Mills 4-0-35-0, Thompson 3-1-18-1 (w1), Southee 4-0-44-1, Vettori 4-0-19-2 (w1), Oram 3-0-24-1, Patel 2-1-12-2. Result: New Zealand won by 36 runs. Series: Drawn 1-1. Toss: New Zealand. Umpires: Gary Baxter, Evan Watkin; TV - Tony Hill.
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