Another century from skipper Kane Williamson helped New Zealand overcome good bowling from Sheldon Cottrell and a late batting blitz from Carlos Brathwaite to secure a five-run victory over the West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester, Saturday.
Williamson hit an unbeaten on 148, his second century in as many matches, to guide his side out of trouble to a decent 291 for eight. The Kiwi bowlers were first battered by Gayle then took a late hammering from Brathwaite, who hit a brilliant 101 off just 80 balls with nine fours and five sixes, but held their nerve to bowl out the Windies for 286.
Brathwaite, however, should have won the match. With six runs for victory and seven balls left, he went for glory by attempting to blast James Neesham out the ground off the last ball of the penultimate over only to sky his shot into the waiting hands of Trent Boult on the long-on boundary.
But this was perhaps indicative of the West Indies' approach to the innings before Brathwaite brought some late hope.
Gayle, who hit an 84-ball 87 including eight fours and six sixes and benefitted from a couple dropped catches, and Shimron Hetmyer were earlier motoring along in a 122-run third-wicket partnership well ahead of the required run rate, when the latter inexplicably attempted a pull off medium pacer Lockie Ferguson and edged the ball onto his leg stump.
Hetmyer went for 54 off 45 balls including eight fours and one six but his departure triggered a middle order slide, as skipper Jason Holder followed him back to the pavilion the very next ball and the Windies slumped to 142 for four and never recovered. Colin de Grandhomme then got the prized scalp of Gayle 10 runs later and it was only a matter of time before the inevitable result came.
Boult bagged four wickets for 30 runs and Ferguson three for 59 as the Windies' hopes of advancing to the tournament's next phase were ended.
The win pushed New Zealand back to the top of the table with 11 points, one more than second-placed Australia and two more than third-placed India, who escaped a plucky Afghanistan by 20 runs in the earlier match Saturday. Hosts England remained in fourth with eight points followed by Bangladesh (6 pts). The Windies remained anchored in the lower half of the table on three points with the loss, their fourth in six matches.
Earlier, Cottrell had New Zealand reeling on seven for two after removing openers Martin Guptill lbw and Colin Munro bowled for ducks with his first and fifth balls of the very first over of the match. But Williamson and Ross Taylor then shared in a World Cup record 160-run third-wicket partnership to revive their hopes. Williamson reached his hundred in the 38th over with a boundary off pacer Kemar Roach and was eventually out three overs before the allotted 50 when he skied an expansive drive high off Cottrell into the air to be caught by wicketkeeper Shai Hope. His highest ODI innings included 14 fours and one six and came off 154 balls.
Taylor contributed a slow 69 to the cause before he skied Gayle to Holder at mid-off, but did the job needed on the day.
Cottrell was the best Windies bowler with four wickets for 56 runs but also ran out Colin de Grandhomme (16) and took two catches in the last over off Carlos Brathwaite to dismiss Mitchell Santner (10) and Jimmy Neesham (28) and ensure the Kiwis did not cross the 300 mark. As it turned out, the Kiwis did not need such a high total to overcome an indisciplined Windies batting effort.
SUMMARISED SCORES
NEW ZEALAND 291-8 (Kane Williamson 148, Ross Taylor 69, Sheldon Cottrell 4/56, Carlos Brathwaite 2/58) v WEST INDIES 286 (Carlos Brathwaite 101, Chris Gayle 87, Shimron Hetmyer 54, Trent Boult 4/30, Lockie Ferguson 3/59)
Result: New Zealand won by five runs