Rutherford comes alive at death as WI reach Super 8
Tarouba (Trinidad), June 13
Sherfane Rutherford smashed a career-best unbeaten half-century before pacer Alzarri Joseph and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie ripped through the New Zealand line-up to steer West Indies into the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup with a 13-run win here.
Bangladesh beat Netherlands by 25 runs
Kingstown (St Vincent): Shakib Al Hasan regained form with a sublime half-century before leg-spinner Rishad Hossain struck twice at a crucial juncture as Bangladesh inched closer to Super 8s with a 25-run win over Netherlands today. Set a target of 160, Netherlands ended at 134/8 at the picturesque Arnos Vale Ground, which was hosting an international for the first time in 10 overs. The result meant Sri Lanka were knocked out of the tournament. Shakib roared back to form with a 46-ball 64 as Bangladesh posted a competitive 159 for five after being asked to bat.
Brief scores: Bangladesh: 159/5 in 20 overs (Shakib 64*; Van Meekren 2/15, Aryan 2/17); Netherlands: 134/8 in 20 overs (Engelbrecht 33, Vikramjit 26; Rishad 3/33). pti
Rutherford came up with the innings of his life, smashing half a dozen sixes and two fours for his 39-ball 68 to lift West Indies to 149/9 from 76/7 in 12.3 overs after New Zealand opted to bowl in a virtual knockout Group C fixture. In reply, West Indies restricted the Kiwis to 136/9 with Motie returning with splendid figures of 3/25. Joseph turned up the heat on the late order to become the wrecker-in-chief with his 4/19.
With three wins in a row, the co-hosts qualified for the Super 8s, while New Zealand’s hopes were all but dashed following back-to-back losses.
They had earlier lost to Afghanistan by 84 runs after being shot out for 75. The 2021 runners-up, among the most consistent sides in World Cups, have been found wanting this time.
It was half past midnight in Trinidad but the locals erupted in joy to celebrate their team’s qualification, erasing the disappointment of successive setbacks in the big event.
“It was fantastic. I was sitting there with Nicholas (Pooran) and it was such a beautiful night for someone to stand up and be counted,” skipper Rovman Powell said. “That (Rutherford) innings gave us confidence and belief. We watched what they did well and tried to replicate it.”
Brief Scores: West Indies: 149/9 in 20 overs (Rutherford 68*; Boult 3/16, Southee 2/21, Ferguson 2/27); New Zealand: 136/9 in 20 overs (Phillips 40; Joseph 4/19, Motie 3/25).
