Kingston - Contrasting half-centuries by openers Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks helped West Indies secure a comfortable 8-wicket win in the inconsequential third T20I at Sabina Park against New Zealand, on Sunday.
Having already lost the first two matches of the series, the hosts overhauled the 146-run target with an over to spare. Electing to bat, New Zealand’s innings never quite got going. Dominic Drakes bowled a tight spell upfront while Akeal Hosein chipped in with a couple of wickets. However, in-form Glenn Phillips yet against bailed his team out.
Kane Williamson, who had added 47 for the fourth wicket with Phillips, fell soon after as the hard-hitter continued to keep the attack on the hosts for a few overs from thereon, including swiping Hosein for a six over backward square leg. Odeon Smith’s triple strike late in New Zealand’s innings limited the hosts to 145-7.
West Indies had to break little sweat on the way towards the target, with the openers laying out a solid 102-run foundation in only 79 balls. Shamarh Brooks largely struggled to get going, especially against the pace of Lockie Ferguson. However, King smashed Santner for successive boundaries in the fifth.
He went one better against Tim Southee in the next, heaving the pacer for a six over mid-wicket before smashing him for a couple of boundaries to pick 18 from the over.
In the 8th over, Brooks cut loose, hitting Ish Sodhi for sixes off successive balls. Lockie Ferguson continued to limit the run-scoring and Brooks again went back on a shell, the damage till that point was enough to put New Zealand on the backfoot.
King fell soon after bringing up his half-century while New Zealand stuck again in the next over, dismissing Devon Smith for a run-a-ball five, but couldn’t alter the course of West Indies’ chase. Rovman Powell provided some big hits late in the innings, while Brooks worked his way to an unbeaten 59-ball 56.