In the first one-day international between the West Indies and New Zealand, Shamarh Brooks excelled in the sheet anchor role to lead the West Indies to a five-wicket victory over the number one-ranked team in the world, New Zealand.
At Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday, the first day-night One-Day International of a three-match series between top-ranked New Zealand and the West Indies was played. The game had a low scoring total, and Shamarh Brooks played the sheet anchor role to perfection, helping the West Indies to a five-wicket victory over New Zealand. Brooks’ 91-ball 79 with nine fours and one six provided the much-needed stability for his team to propel them to 193 for five from 39 overs in reply after the home side’s bowling combination of pace and spin destroyed the visitors for 190 off 45.2 overs batting first.
The chase was kept on track thanks to his 72-run fourth-wicket partnership with captain Nicholas Pooran (28), which ensured there would be no repeat of the collapses that have become an all-too-common feature of their game in recent years. Nicholas Pooran was the only other player to reach the score of 28.
After collecting the “Man of the Match” award, Brooks stated that “it was crucial just to get a start because this was not the easiest pitch to bat on.” Brooks was referring to the difficult batting surface.
“It was especially gratifying to be in a good relationship with the captain and to witness the way he really buckled down, which is not his nature,” said the player. “It was especially nice to be in a good partnership with the captain.”
Not only did the outcome signal New Zealand’s first one-day international loss of the year, but it also brought a stop to the dismal run of nine straight losses that the Caribbean team had been on in the format of 50 overs per side.
More importantly, it won them 10 crucial points that will help them qualify for the World Cup that will be held in India the following year.
In the earlier part of the day, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph each took three wickets against the New Zealand Black Caps. The Black Caps were the victors of the preceding Twenty20 International series in Jamaica, which they won 2-1. Captain Kane Williamson scored the most runs for the Black Caps with 34.
The New Zealand skipper gave his team’s batting performance this evaluation: “We need to roll up our sleeves and learn to adjust to different conditions because it clearly wasn’t easy batting out there,” he said in reference to his team’s performance.
“It’s all a part of the learning process, and from here on out, we just need to go on,” she said.
New Zealand’s first innings began on a sunny afternoon, and thanks to an opening stand of 41 between Finn Allen (25) and Martin Guptill, the team gave the impression that they were laying the groundwork for a dangerous score (24).
