West Indies defeated New Zealand by 2 wickets in the fifth ODI in Barbados. Shimron Hetmyer played a match-winning innings with the lower order to secure a thrilling victory.
In this match, West Indies won the toss and decided to bowl first. Batting first, the New Zealand team scored 268 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the stipulated 50 overs.
The visiting team did not have a good start, and Henry Nicholls was out for just 10 runs.
After that, Will Young and Nick Kelly steadied the innings by playing brilliant half-century knocks. However, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, and captain Mitchell Santner returned to the pavilion cheaply, increasing the pressure on the team.
In such a situation, Tom Latham played a crucial innings. He scored 69 runs off 71 balls with the help of 6 fours and 1 six, taking the team to a respectable score.
For West Indies, Alzarri Joseph and Vital Lवेज performed brilliantly in bowling. Both took two wickets each.
Apart from them, Matthew Forde, Jayden Seales, and Gudakesh Motie got one wicket each. Joseph proved to be the most economical bowler, conceding only 38 runs in his 10 overs.
Chasing a target of 269 runs, the West Indies team had a mixed start. The team's top 4 batsmen got good starts, but none could convert them into big innings.
Captain Shai Hope scored 39 runs, while Akeem Auguste contributed 34 runs. Keacy Carty scored 20 runs off 54 balls and built two important partnerships.
Sherfane Rutherford played a quick innings of 61 runs off 58 balls but was dismissed at a score of 218. With his dismissal, the threat of defeat loomed over the team.
At one point, half of the West Indies team was back in the pavilion for 218 runs. But Shimron Hetmyer did not give up. He held one end and, along with the lower-order batsmen, bravely faced the Kiwi bowlers.
Thanks to Hetmyer's sensible innings, West Indies won this thrilling match by 2 wickets with 15 balls to spare.
Despite this victory, West Indies lost the five-match ODI series 3-2. West Indies had won the first match of the series, but after that, New Zealand won three consecutive matches to take an unassailable lead in the series. By winning the last match, West Indies reduced the margin of defeat.
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