NZL v WI, 3rd ODI Review: New Zealand win as Windies collapse in a dramatic fashion

New Zealand ran a riot in the first two One-Day Internationals against West Indies. They won the encounters with ease as Windies were outclassed in each of the two ODIs. The third and the final match of the series was played at Christchurch today. Hosts won the toss and chose to bat first. It looked like a good decision at first but Windies bowler broke early.

Sheldon Cottrell was the one to get early wickets for as the Black Caps looked to be in big trouble. They were reduced to 26 for 3 when Cottrell removed George Worker and Neil Broom cheaply. Jason Holder also joined in the party dismissing Colin Munro with a top-notch delivery. Soon Ross Taylor and the stand-in captain Tom Latham were in the middle and they stitched a good partnership.

Rain plays spoilsport

Just when things started to look good for New Zealand, rain poured down in Christchurch like it always does. It went on for a while and disrupted the whole momentum of the Kiwi batters. The pouring down went on for a few hours as the game was reduced to 23 overs out of which New Zealand had played 19 overs.

They were 83 for 3 after 19 overs and in the next four overs, the hosts managed to go to 131 for 4 at the loss of four wickets. The score was revised with the help of D/L method. Windies needed 166 to win the game in 23 overs. It was good bowling display from the men in maroon. However, they had a job to finish against a world class bowling attack.

The downpour of wickets

After the downpour of rain, there was a downpour of wickets. Trent Boult and Matt Henry ran havoc through the top order of West Indies. Boult was at his swinging best and Henry was bouncing the batters out. Within a blink of an eye, the visiting team was reduced to 5 for 9. Jason Holder staged a short Windies comeback but it was not to happen.

He departed for the score of 34 as the top order collapse had them down on the knees. Chris Gayle’s comeback was short-lived as he departed for a score of 4 in the very first over. Walton walked back without troubling the scorers and the Hope brothers only accounted for 3 runs combines. It was the tail that wagged long enough to avoid a major embarrassment for West Indies.

Windies blanked yet again

West Indies have blanked out in a series yet again. They failed to win a Test cricket match and they struggled even in a format that is considered their stronger suit. Winning has become hard for the side from the Caribbean. They lost the third and the final ODI eventually by 66 runs where DLS method played a huge role. Windies played out the whole of 23 overs and scored 99 with the loss of 9 wickets.

Holder top scored with 34 for Windies while Boult and Santner picked up three wickets each. Henry dismissed two as Todd Astle picked up a wicket. Another comprehensive win for New Zealand as they wrapped up the series 3-0 with a fantastic win over their doomed opponents.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand: 131/4 (23 Overs) (Ross Taylor 41; Sheldon Cottrell 2/19)

Windies: 99/9 (23 Overs) (Jason Holder 34; Trent Boult 3/18)

New Zealand won by 66 runs (D/L method)

Man of the Match: Ross Taylor