Rampaul pleased with bowlers as West Indies draw first blood

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CMC):

WEST INDIES bowling coach Ravi Rampaul left Eden Park yesterday a pleased man after watching his side defend the lowest total ever at the ground to draw first blood against New Zealand in their five-match T20I series.

“We’re very happy with our performance. You know, we didn’t have much time here, and coming and seeing how the guys performed, with the energy that they put in and the execution that they did in the match, was really commendable,” said Rampaul.

The coach was speaking about watching the West Indies defend a modest total of 164 to claim a nail-biting seven-run victory.

The win was set up by a captain’s knock from Shai Hope and a masterful all-round performance from Roston Chase, before a late onslaught from New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner provided a heart-stopping finish.

Sent into bat, the West Indies top order struggled to adapt to the bouncy Auckland pitch after coming off less juicy surfaces on tours of Bangladesh and India.

They found themselves in early trouble at 43 for 3, after Jacob Duffy sent back Brandon King in the first over for three, and then Kyle Jamieson had Alick Athanaze caught for 16.

Jimmy Neesham then got in on the act, sending back the inform Akeem Auguste for two.

But Hope orchestrated a rescue mission.

Overcoming a sluggish start, the skipper weathered the storm and accelerated to a vital 53 off 39 balls, anchoring the innings.

He found a reliable partner in Roston Chase (28), who was involved in the two biggest partnerships of the innings. Hope and Chase added 54 for the fourth wicket, after which Chase and Rovman Powell put on 49 for the fifth.

Powell (33), who was dropped twice, helped push the total to 164 for 6, with Romario Shepherd finishing off the innings with a couple of boundaries.

For New Zealand, Duffy was the pick of the bowlers with a miserly 2 for 19 from his four overs.

The West Indies defence was ignited by a fiery spell from returning seamer Matthew Forde. Playing his first competitive cricket match since July, Forde was menacing with the new ball, troubling the Kiwi top order with swing and pace.

He clean-bowled Devon Conway for 13, in a powerplay burst that yielded just nine runs from his first three overs.

From the other end, the spin of Roston Chase proved devastating. On a ground known for its short boundaries, Chase’s clever off breaks yielded 3 for 26, tearing through the New Zealand middle order and reducing the hosts to a precarious 107 for 9 in the 17th over.

Jayden Seales wasn’t to be outdone, bagging three for 32 to help break the heart of the Kiwi batting line-up.

Just as a comprehensive victory seemed certain, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner launched a stunning counter-attack. He smashed an unbeaten 55 from just 28 balls, single-handedly turning the chase on its head.

His late fireworks, which included a 23-run over off Forde, electrified the sparse crowd and brought New Zealand back from the brink.

The match went down to the final over, with the Black Caps needing 20 runs. Santner clubbed a six off Romario Shepherd to keep hopes alive, but the bowler held his nerve under extreme pressure to seal the win by seven runs.

Sandtner also praised the West Indies for their bowling effort.

“I think the way the West Indies bowled in the middle there, they really put pressure on us,” Santner said.

“I guess we weren’t really able to go anywhere. We were reasonably happy with 164 at the turns but it was one of those nights I guess.”