West Indies Vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup Highlights: All-Round WI Win By 13 Runs, Storm Into Super 8

Welcome to the highlights of our coverage of match 26 of ICC T20 World Cup 2024, played between West Indies and New Zealand at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad (West Indies) on Thursday, June 13. The game saw West Indies pulling off a come-from-behind 13-run victory over New Zealand. After Sherfane Rutherford played a heroic knock (68 not out off 39 balls) to rescue the Windies innings, their bowlers fired on all cylinders and defended the 150-run target with elan. The victory, Windies' seventh in T20Is on the bounce, guaranteed them a place in the Super 8 stage. As for New Zealand, a second consecutive loss means they are virtually out of reckoning for the next round, and will need favourable results from other teams even if they win their remaining two clashes. Catch the highlights of the WI vs NZ match at T20 WC 2024, right here. (Scorecard | Full Coverage)

West Indies: Rovman Powell (c), Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Obed McCoy, Shamar Joseph, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, James Neesham and Rachin Ravindra.

Tarouba had a considerable amount of rain yesterday, but the forecast today does not indicate downpour. The weather is expected to be pleasant, and temperatures are likely to hover in the late 20s (degree Celsius).

This will be the first match of the tournament proper at the Brian Lara Stadium, but the venue had hosted a few warm-up games. It is not a high-scoring ground traditionally and the average first-innings total here has been 167. Expect another relatively low-scoring battle, especially considering all the rain from the previous day.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has won the toss and decided to bowl first against West Indies.

Playing XIs

West Indies: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Kane Williamson: "Few unknowns about the surface, so bowling first. [On if they practiced here in the lead-up to this game] Not much to be honest, there's a bit of weather around. Tough first match but we have got to regroup. Southee in for Henry, Neesham in for Bracewell and Ravindra in for Chapman. New venue, new team."

Rovman Powell: "Doesn't matter if we are batting or bowling, but if we had won the toss, we would have liked to bowl first as well. The guys are coming in on the back of a lot of cricket, the guys need rest too and the inclement weather helped. To keep on improving in all three areas, as a batting group we have some boxes to tick and as a bowling group, if we can control the powerplay as we did in the last game, that would be great."

The two teams stride out for the national anthems. This is the first match of the tournament proper being played at this venue, and a sizeable crowd is here to witness the action.

Trent Boult kicks off proceedings with the ball for New Zealand. West Indies' regulation openers Brandon King and Johnson Charles facing up to him. A hint of swing in the air for Boult, who is disciplined with his lines in the first over and that results with a wicket off the last ball. Charles plays on to a fifth-stump delivery and the Kiwis draw first blood.

The early wicket has not deterred new batter Nicholas Pooran, who has come out all guns blazing. In the process, the southpaw goes past Chris Gayle as West Indies' highest run-scorer in T20 internationals.

And just when he was looking dangerous, Nicholas Pooran has been dismissed by the experienced Tim Southee. A short ball gets big on the left-hander, who can only miscue it for wicketkeeper Devon Conway to take a fine, running catch.

The BlackCaps are out with a vengeance. All four pacers to have bowled have struck for the Kiwis, who have reduced West Indies to 30 for five after 6.3 overs. A dramatic start to the innings which nobody could have foreseen. All five top-order batters are gone and Sherfane Rutherford and Akeal Hosein are now at the crease with 13 overs still to go.

West Indies are still smarting from the carnage from New Zealand bowlers in the first seven overs. Sherfane Rutherford and Akeal Hosein are attempting to stitch a partnership together and at the halfway stage of the innings, the co-hosts are at 49 for five.

Mitchell Santner sends back Akeal Hosein, but that brings in Andre Russell, who throws caution to the wind and smashes 14 runs off six balls before Trent Boult snares him. Windies now seven down with 76 runs on the board and seven-plus overs remaining.

Though seven down, the West Indian batters are not going down without a fight. Romario Shepherd has joined Sherfane Rutherford and the duo has taken WI past the 100-run mark. With four overs to go, these runs could be crucial in the outcome of the match.

Veteran seamer Trent Boult finishes with 3-16 from his four overs and leaves Windies nine down for 112 runs, after 18 overs.

Sherfane Rutherford has played a sensational knock to resuscitate the Windies innings. The southpaw stays unbeaten on 68 off just 39 balls to lift WI from a precarious position to a competent total of 149 runs. On this surface, with the ball staying low and not coming on to the bat, the 150-run target is sure to test New Zealand.

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein takes the new ball for West Indies. He bowls a tight first over, conceding just three runs to New Zealand's attacking opening duo of Devon Conway and Finn Allen.

Akeal Hosein gets rid of Devon Conway in the third over, and New Zealand lose their first wicket at the score of 20 runs. Rachin Ravindra is the new batter and he joins Finn Allen, who has scored a fluent unbeaten 19 so far.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie strikes and it is the big fish, NZ captain Kane Williamson, who has to walk back after scoring just one run. The Kiwis are three down and the asking rate is well over eight runs an over.

New Zealand lose Rachin Ravindra too as Gudakesh Motie picks up his second wicket. The West Indies bowling is returning the favour to the BlackCaps with interest, as the visiting batters are unable to break free. NZ need 92 more runs off the last 10 overs, with six wickets in hand.

Gudakesh Motie is having a dream run with the ball in a crunch match for the West Indies. The left-arm spinner picks up his third scalp, dislodging Daryl Mitchell for 12 runs. NZ now have their backs against the wall, with half the side dismissed and the required run rate over 11 per over.

Glenn Phillips' valiant innings (40 runs off 33 balls) comes to an end. Tim Southee follows him off the very next ball as Alzarri Joseph picks up his fourth wicket. New Zealand now eight down and with 42 more to get off 14 balls, the match looks as good as over.

And West Indies' bowling masterclass is complete with a 13-run win over New Zealand. Mitchell Santner (21 not out off 12 balls) hits some lusty blows towards the end but they are not nearly enough to drag them over the line. By restricting the Kiwis to 136 runs in 20 overs, Windies register their seventh T20I win on the trot and storm into the Super 8s.

Sherfane Rutherford is the Player Of The Match for his game-changing unbeaten knock (68 not out off 39 balls). Here's what he said after West Indies' win:

"I want to thank God for the opportunity. (On scoring 68 and his jersey number also being 68) I am going to keep 68 close to my heart. (On his preparation for the tournament) I was in the IPL for two months, so I was preparing, even though I was not playing. I did a lot of work and did my planning. Keeping it simple and backing my skill - I think that was the key. (On his thought process tonight) I was just telling myself to take it deep. Me and Sammy had a talk and I knew if we got momentum, I could make it up in the end. Looking at their bowling line-up, I knew they were short of two overs. I knew they had to make up those overs and I wanted to maximise it. (On making the Super Eight) It is one tick in the box, but it is only the start of something big to come. Hopefully we can continue the momentum."

Kane Williamson: "(On their powerplay bowling) It was good. We had an inkling that it was going to be tricky if you hit an area, and that proved to be the case. On these surfaces, you have to find a way and an over or two can be the difference. The quality of Sherfane's innings was high. The batting depth in their side was beneficial for sure. We knew there were going to be some tough overs there. We tried to take the aggressive option to take wickets. (On Santner's ability to bowl to left-handers) We know that and we have full trust in that. We saw how tricky it was when you hit the wicket and we were certainly trying to execute as well as we could. The margins are small, 2-3 balls here and there, and the score can get up high. (On their lack of preparation) You get the prep that you get and you do as well as you can. You have to get your head around the conditions. We cannot make excuses and have to find ways. We need to bounce back quickly. We are back on in a couple of days and we want to see better and smarter performances. The effort was there, and important that we pick ourselves up and go again."

Rovman Powell: "Very happy (with the performance). From the outside, we told our guys someone will have to play a blinder (because of how the pitch could be due to inclement weather) We always believe individual brilliance is needed. That (Rutherford) innings gave us confidence and belief. We watched what they did well and tried to replicate it. Hard length was difficult (to get away). We sat down as a bowling length and decided to hit a hard length, with the spinners trying to spin the ball. (On bowling the spinners early) You have to use what you have. We don't have as many fast bowlers as NZ. We have three spinners, so have to push them as much as I can. (On the crowd support) It was fantastic. I was sitting there with Nicholas and it was such a beautiful night for someone to stand up and be counted. Unfortunate some of our batters could not but glad to get the win."

With that, our coverage of this remarkable contest between West Indies and New Zealand comes to an end. We will be back with live updates from the upcoming games of the T20 World Cup. Until then, goodbye.