Another poor bowling effort followed by feeble batting from World champions, West Indies condemned them to a 66-run defeat in the second Twenty20 International against New Zealand yesterday, after Glenn Phillips blasted a record, maiden hundred of 108.
The Windies bowling again was far too inconsistent, and Phillips smashed 10 fours and eight sixes in a 51-ball assault to record the fastest T20I hundred by a New Zealander, setting up the Blackcaps for an imposing 238 for three from their allocation of 20 overs in the rain-affected match at the Bay Oval.
None of the West Indies’ batsmen could exhibit similar aggression against disciplined, if not threatening New Zealand bowling – a handful got starts and failed to carry on – and the Caribbean side limped to 166 for nine from their 20 overs.
Windies captain Kieron Pollard hit the top score of 28, Keemo Paul indulged himself towards the end with 26 not out, Shimron Hetmyer laboured over 25, and opener Andre Fletcher and left-hander Kyle Mayers made 20 each, but promised much more.
The result meant that the visitors now trail 0-2 and cannot win the three-match series, which concludes on Monday (2 a.m. East Caribbean Time) at the same venue.
A wet outfield caused by rain delayed the start by 15 minutes and probably heavily weighed into the West Indies’ decision to defy the ground record and choose to field, rather than bat after they won the toss.
The inclement weather swayed the Windies from heeding the stat that suggests teams batting first at this venue have won all of the previous six finishes.
Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell started well for West Indies with his first two overs costing only seven runs. But Pollard could find no other bowler to match his consistency and the Caribbean side leaked runs from early.
Oshane Thomas made the breakthrough, when he bowled Tim Seifert for 18 in the sixth over, the batsman playing on a scoop shot.
Left-arm spinner Fabian Allen had Martin Guptill caught behind down the leg-side for 34 in the seventh over, a dismissal that required video umpire Chris Brown to reverse the on-field verdict of umpire Shaun Haig – and New Zealand were 53 for two.
