After enduring nine successive defeats in ODI cricket, West Indies finally put a full stop to their harrowing run by claiming a resounding win against New Zealand on August 17 (Wednesday). The Men in Maroon thrashed Kane Williamson's side by five wickets in the first ODI at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. A game that saw multiple stoppages due to rain ebbed and flowed in several directions before the hosts got the job done in a dominant fashion.
Chasing a modest target of 191 runs on a deceptive strip under overcast conditions, Nicholas Pooran's men rushed to the finish line with 11 overs (66 balls) to spare. But, truth be told, the momentum swung like a pendulum for most of the game.
After winning the toss, Pooran had no hesitation in asking the visitors to bat first, with conditions tailor-made for bowlers to extract purchase from the wicket.
New Zealand openers Martin Guptill (24 runs off 39 balls) and Finn Allen started cautiously against the new ball but soon opened their arms to provide some impetus to the innings. Just when the duo was shaping up to shift gears, Akeal Hosein ended their 41-run alliance for the first wicket on the fourth ball of the ninth over as Allen (25 runs off 24 balls) was caught by Pooran.
From thereon, New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals as West Indies bowlers stuck to their game plan and displayed discipline in their approach. Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson batted with patience and kept the scoreboard moving despite watching his colleagues lose their wickets at the other end.
Alzarri Joseph struck gold in the last delivery of the 30th over when he ended Williamson's valiant knock of 34 runs off 50 balls and reduced the visitors to 122/6 after 30 overs. Michael Bracewell (31 runs off 33 balls )and Mitchell Santner (25 runs off 38 balls) tried to push the Black Caps' total beyond the mark of 200. But West Indies bowlers were just too good on the day as they bundled out New Zealand for 190 runs in 45.2 overs.
Hosein, who has become a revelation in limited-overs for West Indies, was the pick of all bowlers. He finished the game with figures of 3/28 in 10 overs. Joseph also bagged three wickets while veteran Jason Holder chipped in with two scalps.
Defending a low score, Kiwi frontline pacers - Trent Boult and Tim Southee - came out roaring and sent both the West Indies openers back to the pavilion inside six overs. Shamarh Brooks, who walked out to bat at number three, combined for a 40-run stand with Keacy Carty (11 runs off 20 balls) before Santner trapped the latter in front of the stumps.
At 74/3, the hosts were precariously placed but only one solid partnership away from taking the lead in the three-match series. And luckily for West Indies, that alliance came between Brooks and their skipper Pooran. The duo stitched a 75-run stand for the fourth wicket to reclaim the ascendancy.
Brooks went on to smash a half-century while his captain was dismissed for 28 runs off 47 balls by Southee. Boult cleaned up Brooks 29 balls later but the right-handed batter had already done the damage. His innings of 79 runs in 91 balls left West Indies 19 runs behind the target. Jermaine Blackwood (12 not out off 18 balls) and Holder (13 not out off 25 balls) took the Men in Maroon to promise land.
While West Indies ended their nine-game losing streak in ODIs, they also snapped New Zealand's seven-game win streak in 2022 in 50-over cricket.
