A 130-run onslaught by Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum led New Zealand to victory over the West Indies by 36 runs in their Twenty20 match here Sunday. Man-of-the-match Ryder posted 62 and McCullum 59 in a record Twenty20 stand for New Zealand.
It came at a shade under 12 runs an over and ensured a formidable target as New Zealand reached 191 for nine, despite a meltdown after the opening partnership ended.
When the West Indies looked to their talisman Chris Gayle to save the day - after he had dismissed both Ryder and McCullum - they found his usually dependable batting talents were absent. He was out for one in the second over and the West Indies never came close to the required run rate, finishing at 155 for seven.
It was the first decisive result in the West Indies tour of New Zealand after the two Tests earlier in the month were drawn and the first Twenty20 went to a one-over tiebreaker, won by the West Indies.
It also snapped New Zealand's eight-game losing streak in Twenty20 fixtures. The Seddon Park wicket has proved a happy hunting ground for the McCullum-Ryder pairing as they backed up from an unbroken 165-run stand in a one-day match against England here earlier this year. McCullum's dismissal, after a 34-ball innings which included six fours and four sixes triggered a New Zealand collapse that saw nine wickets fall in 51 balls for 61 runs. Marshall went in the seventh over for 10 and Chanderpaul was out for five, leaving Sarwan (53) to hold the innings together at the top.
New Zealand:
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J. Ryder c Sarwan b Gayle 62
B. McCullum c Chanderpaul b Gayle 59
R. Taylor c Marshall b Pollard 6
J. Oram run out Findlay 9
D. Flynn c Ramdin b Pollard 3
J. Franklin c Findlay b Benn 20
D. Vettori b Taylor 2
K. Mills b Taylor 6
E. Thompson not out 1
T. Southee run out (Taylor) 2
Extras: (b 12, lb 4, w 5) 21
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Total: (9 wickets) 191
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Fall of wickets: 1-130 (McCullum), 2-139 (Taylor), 3-142 (Ryder), 4-152 (Flynn), 5-161 (Oram), 6-164 (Vettori), 7-184 (Franklin), 8-189 (Mills), 9-191 (Southee)
Bowling: Baker 2-0-14-0, Taylor 4-0-29-2 (1w), Benn 4-0-45-1, Edwards 2-0-31-0 (1w), Gayle 4-0-27-2, Pollard 4-0-29-2 (3w)
-- West Indies:
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C. Gayle c Oram b Thompson 1
R. Sarwan c Southee b Oram 53
X. Marshall c Flynn b Southee 10
S. Chanderpaul c Oram b Vettori 5
S. Findlay b Vettori 13
K. Pollard c Ryder b Patel 38
D. Ramdin c Taylor b Patel 30
J. Taylor not out 0
S. Benn not out 0
Extras: (lb 3, w 2) 5
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Total: (7 wickets) 155
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