Carlos Brathwaite took West Indies to within five runs of an astonishing triumph over New Zealand in a thrilling World Cup match at Old Trafford – but was caught as he went for the six his side needed to win.
Chasing 292 for victory, West Indies had been reduced to 164-7 and needed 33 runs from the final 18 balls to seal an unlikely success at Old Trafford.
Brathwaite struck three huge sixes off Matt Henry in the 48th over and top edged a four, taking the required target to eight from 12 balls.
He reached his century with six runs needed in a nail-biting finale, but as he went for one last boundary, he was caught by Trent Boult to end West Indies’ innings in a heartbreaking finish.
Brathwaite slumped to his knees as he saw Boult take the catch on the long-on boundary, extinguishing West Indies’ hopes of victory.
He was quickly consoled by the New Zealand fielders and was given a lengthy standing ovation by the packed crowd.
Ultimately, though, the loss means West Indies are all but out of the World Cup, with New Zealand topping the table and now set for a semi-final place.
New Zealand’s victory was built on a peerless 148 from captain Kane Williamson, who rescued his side after they lost two wickets in the opening over. (BBC Sport)
Post-match comments (Courtesy ESPNCricinfo)
Jason Holder (West Indies captain): Tough game at the very end but I’m proud of the guys, especially Carlos. Having said that, still a lot of positives. You can probably pinpoint one or two areas where we fell down. We brought ourselves back a long way back into the game, I don’t think you can fault the efforts. We lost wickets at crucial stages. We lost Hetty at a bad time. We’ve still got a lot to play for, we’ve got our pride to play for. We can still finish the tournament on a high.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand captain): (Boult) has got very good hands. We put a few down in the field today, but I suppose it all made for a fantastic finish. A bit too close for comfort. I thought the guys did an outstanding job in the roles they were given. You bring guys back to try and pick up wickets when required. Some of the striking from the West Indians is unrivalled so it really does put you under pressure. Any experience that you have that you can learn from is a good one. We’ve got a couple of tight games, but against strong opposition. Some things to learn from, some things to improve on. Every game is a tough one here and you want to be moving forward as a unit. We’ve made small steps but there is still a long way to go.
Kane Williamson is the Man-of-the-Match: The West Indies side is incredibly dangerous. The power they pack through the order, we saw it today. [Earlier] They bowled really, really well. They got the ball swinging and they hit the area fairly well on that surface. I was looking to play the merit of the ball, and make the best possible decisions.
