Comprehensive victory for New Zealand
Hosts West Indies suffered the second consecutive loss in their World Cup campaign as New Zealand defeated them by seven wickets in their Super Eight encounter of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. Played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda, the match was primarily a one-sided affair, which eventually dented West Indies’ chances of being the first host country to win the coveted World Cup trophy.
West Indies were put in to bat after New Zealand won the toss. Shane Bond was at his destructive best in the opening spell. He dismissed opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the eighth over and eventually went on to claim three wickets for 31 runs in 8.4 overs.
Besides Bond, Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori were the stars of New Zealand’s bowling attack, and took three wickets each. All the bowlers bowled prodigiously and kept taking crucial wickets at regular intervals. Oram was simply brilliant and grabbed three of the most important Windies wickets – Chris Gayle (44), Ramnaresh Sarwan (19) and Marlon Samuels (9).
For West Indies, Gayle was the highest scorer with 44. However, he too seemed uncomfortable all through his stay on the field. Apart from Gayle, skipper Brian Lara (37) was the only one who managed to go beyond the 20-run mark, as the team was bundled out for 177 runs in the 45th over.
When New Zealand came for their reply, they lost their opener Peter Fulton for a duck on the second ball of the innings. Skipper Stephen Fleming (45) and Scott Styris stabilized the New Zealand batting lineup with an excellent partnership. Styris continued with his brilliant form, scoring unbeaten 80 runs off 90 balls and hitting seven fours in the process. Along with Craig McMillan (33 not out), he saw his team to the victory target.
The Kiwis scored 179 runs at the loss of three wickets, in the 40th over. For West Indies, Darren Powell grabbed two wickets for 39 runs in his quota of ten overs. Oram was adjudged Man of the Match for his bowling display.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 179/3 (Styris 80*) vs. West Indies 177 (Gayle 44, Oram 3-23, Bond 3-31, Vettori 3-39)
Result: New Zealand won by seven wickets
Man of the Match: Jacob Oram
To know more about Cricket World Cup 2007, check the following links:
Points Table
Highlights
Match Scorecards
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