NZ beat West Indies by five runs in nail-biting match

MANCHESTER: Kane Williamson stitched New Zealand’s spot in the World Cup semi-finals more tightly into place with his second consecutive hundred but not without the most gulpingly tight of finishes and a heroic hundred in vain from Carlos Brathwaite as New Zealand won by five runs.

From the wreckage of 10 for two at the end of the first over, with Martin Guptill and Colin Munro out for ducks to Sheldon Cottrell yorkers, Williamson threaded the needle. Stitch, stitch; open the face of the bat down to third man. Stitch, stitch; nurdle and nudge. Slowly, the small bearded man in anonymous black embroidered together an innings of quiet genius.

Calmly, Ross Taylor and Williamson kept ticking over. Their careful partnership of 167 only ended when Jason Holder summoned his lumbering mulberry from the covers. Chris Gayle may rarely break into a walk these days but there is magic still in those boots. Ten balls into his spell, he had frustrated Taylor into a nothing shot at mid-off where Holder held the catch. Gayle punched the air, the strain of unexpected movement causing him to clutch his shoulder and then potter off the field.

Williamson then tiptoed towards his hundred until finally Kemar Roach pitched leg side and the batsman pulled him to the fine leg boundary. He then increased the tempo with typical quietness – a couple of fours off Holder, the sweetest of cover drives. On 128 he survived a caught behind when a replay showed the ball spilling out of Shai Hope’s gloves; he replied with a balletic strike through point for four, then a huge flick over deep square leg. He eventually sent a top edge spiralling into the sky and was well caught by Hope.

There were bit-parts innings here and there, sixes from Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner, but Cottrell was an ever present danger, taking four for 56 and running out De Grandhomme and then taking two catches in identical spots at mid-off in Brathwaite’s final over.

In the reply, Trent Boult dismissed both Hope and Nicholas Pooran for one but suddenly the pitch which had seemed so slow and difficult to score off transformed into a friendly tennis court as Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer decided that the New Zealand cautious approach wasn’t for them. Gayle crashed Henry for four and six. Hetmyer got off the mark with a wristy flick and then the New Zealand band of brothers started to fray.

Gayle on 15 sliced Henry impossibly high and a back pedalling Boult spilled it, knocking the ball over the boundary. Gayle smashed the two subsequent short deliveries over long-on and long leg for six. And then Hetmyer hit three fours off Neesham. And so it went on, with Gayle dropped twice more.

At last Lockie Ferguson made the breakthrough, bamboozling Hetmyer with a slower ball and bowling him for 54 off 45 balls, a thrilling partnership with Gayle of 122. Next ball Holder had a cement-footed nibble and was caught behind.

The following over Gayle leant back and heaved at De Grandhomme and Nurse and when Nurse and Lewis followed quickly, West Indies had lost five for 22 off 28 balls. All seemed lost, but Brathwaite, the big man for big occasion had other ideas – all but taking West Indies over the line.