The West Indies were left reeling at 30-5 in the seventh over at Tarouba after Kane Williamson opted to field in a 2024 T20 World Cup match at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.
The hosts promoted Akeal Hosein to join Sherfane Rutherford, holding back their big hitters, Andre Russell and Romario Shepherd.
Hosein helped Rutherford put on 28, but neither Russell nor Shepherd lasted. Things looked particularly bleak at 112-8 after 17.5 overs. Gudakesh Motie played out the last ball of the over.
However, in their attempt to bowl out the West Indies, New Zealand had bowled out their fast bowlers – Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, and Jimmy Neesham. They now had to fall back on Mitchell Santner, the lone spinner, and the part-timers.
They backed Daryl Mitchell. Rutherford pushed the first ball to mid-on but denied the single. He dispatched each of the next two balls over long-off for six. Mitchell responded with a yorker that Rutherford kept out, but when he pitched short, Rutherford simply picked it up over the fine-leg fence.
A single off the last ball got him to his fifty. He took 18 more runs off the last over, bowled by Santner, to finish on a career-best unbeaten 39-ball 68 and take the West Indies to 149-9. New Zealand’s fifth “bowler” amounted to 4-0-55-1.
At the time of writing, New Zealand were 25-1 after four overs with Finn Allen (18) and Rachin Ravindra at the crease.
Watch Sherfane Rutherford hit three sixes in four balls off Glenn Philips:
DO NOT MISS!!
Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten blistering knock 🔥#WIvsNZ pic.twitter.com/gU5vUUl4XH
— OneCricket (@OneCricketApp) June 13, 2024