New Zealand Defeat West Indies By 5 Wickets In First T20I
- by Florence Jennings
- in Sport
- — Nov 28, 2020
New Zealand's cricketers will consult the West Indies team before deciding whether players take a knee against racism ahead of their Twenty20 series opener in Auckland on Friday, the first worldwide cricket in the country since the coronavirus pandemic.
The West Indies tour, which features three T20s and two Tests, will be the first worldwide cricket played in New Zealand since late February.
Kieron Pollard's blistering 75 not out powered West Indies to a commanding 180 for 7 in the Auckland contest which was reduced to 16-overs-a-side following rain interruptions.
Ferguson also went on to pick a five-wicket haul.
"It's one of the craziest grounds to play at - the ball flies everywhere and today for me it went to hand".
Pollard recovered the West Indies effort with an innings which eclipsed his previous-best T20 worldwide score of 68.
"It was fantastic cricket, in terms of the ball flaying all over the boundaries", he said.
"It was a topsy-turvy sort of game and a bit of indiscipline showed with us in the bowling side of things".
Ontario reports record-high 1,855 new COVID-19 cases
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce reports 1,481 people were tested at COVID-19 assessment centres on Wednesday. Bonnie Henry, stressing his relationship with top health officials is based on collaboration and trust.
He hit successive sixes from the first two balls of the second over and his flow wasn't disturbed when players again were chased from the field by a shower when the West Indies were 26-0.
The tourists were even more brutal against Hamish Bennett, plundering 29 runs from a nightmare over for the fast bowler that included two no balls and a wide.
They were 58 without loss before Ferguson broke through and clean-bowled Fletcher on 34.
Pollard's contribution looked like it would prove decisive when New Zealand made a shaky start, and veteran opener Martin Guptill departed for five.
The Blackcaps, chasing a revised target of 176 from 16 overs, completed the chase with four balls to spare, courtesy a 77-run partnership at the fifth wicket by Jimmy Neesham and Devon Conway. Neesham's first over produced three sixes and a four for Pollard, and by the time Ferguson returned to remove Allen, he had already added 84 runs off 50 balls with his captain.
"It was a very unusual game but nice to come out the right side", said Southee, who is standing in as regular skipper Kane Williamson focuses on Test cricket.
Captain Kieron Pollard says the Windies are as prepared as they would have normally been and it's just a matter of going out and performing.
