Kiwis pull off thriller despite Pollard blitz
AUCKLAND: A savage spell of fast bowling from Lockie Ferguson and an unbeaten 48 from Jimmy Neesham propelled New Zealand to a five-wicket win over the West Indies in the series-opening T20 international on Friday.
Neesham produced his highest score in T20s and combined in partnerships of 77 with Devon Conway (41) and 39, unbroken, with Mitchell Santner (31 not out) to see New Zealand home with four balls to spare.
In a rain-interrupted match decided under the DuckworthLewis system, New Zealand replied with 176-5 to the West Indies’ total of 180-7.
West Indies owed their competitive total to captain Kieron Pollard, who scored a careerbest 75 not out from 37 balls. Pollard added a powerful finish to an innings reduced by rain to 16 overs, striking four sixes and eight fours to lift his team to 180-7 as it batted first after losing the toss. In an innings which ebbed and flowed around three rain breaks, the West Indies blasted their way to 58 without loss after 3.2 overs, then lost five wickets for one run in the face of Ferguson’s onslaught. Ferguson, who was a hot property in this season’s IPl, was only released from managed isolation on his return to New Zealand on the day before the match. He took a wicket with his first ball, added another in the same over and ended with 5-21 -- becoming only the second New Zealander after Tim Southee to take five wickets in a T20 international. “I thought the boys started out okay,” Ferguson said. “A bit of bad luck happens at this ground.
“It’s one of the craziest grounds to play at -- the ball flies everywhere and today for me it went to hand. I was happy with the way the boys chased it down there.” Pollard recovered the West Indies effort with an innings which eclipsed his previous-best T20 international score of 68. He blasted sixes onto the roof and to all parts of Eden Park, which contained a large crowd. The tourists were happy with their total, but New Zealand methodically chased it down.
South Africa-born Conway, in his debut, played a stabilising role after New Zealand slipped to 63-4 with the run out of veteran Ross Taylor. He first established a partnership with Glenn Phillips who made 22 and batted on despite dislocating his knee.
NZ were 140-5 on Conway’s dismissal and Neesham and Santner were able to keep up the high run rate necessary to see the home team through.
West Indies 180/7 in 16 overs (A Fletcher 34, K Pollard 75*, F Allen 30; Southee 2/22, Ferguson 5/21) lost to New Zealand (target 176) 179/5 in 15.2 overs (D Conway 41, J Neesham 48*, M Santner 31*; Thomas 2/23) by five wickets.