New Zealand warned the West Indies they are targeting a series sweep after Trent Boult yesterday bagged a career-best seven wickets in their record 204-run victory in the second one-day international (ODI) in Christchurch, New Zealand.
It was New Zealand’s biggest ever ODI defeat of the West Indies and gave them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the first match by five wickets.
Tom Latham, filling in as captain while Kane Williamson is rested, said there would be no easing up in the final ODI on Tuesday.
Photo: AFP
Boult took seven for 34 as the West Indies folded at Hagley Oval for 121 in reply to New Zealand’s substantial 325 for six.
However, Latham credited the swashbuckling 130-run stand for the sixth wicket by Henry Nicholls (83 not out) and Todd Astle (49) for setting up the victory.
“When they came together under a little bit of pressure with quite a long time to bat, and the way they ticked it over at the start and then put their foot down at the end was outstanding,” Latham said. “Then when [Trent] comes in to get seven for 34, I guess you’d say the game was won then. It was an outstanding effort by Trent.”
“Obviously one more game on Boxing Day and hopefully we can put in another dominant performance,” he added.
For disappointed West Indies skipper Jason Holder, coming off a 2-0 loss in the Test series, there were no excuses for back-to-back ODI defeats.
“We didn’t play good enough cricket today,” he said.
“We’ve definitely got to address the way we play. In terms of our batting, we’ve got to put some runs on the board whether we bat first or are chasing,” Holder added.
Boult had three for six after his first three overs as the West Indies fell apart at the start of their innings.
After he finished off the top order, Lochie Ferguson plucked out the middle with three wickets in 10 deliveries, including Jason Mohammed and Rovman Powell with successive balls.
It was then left to Boult to return and clean up the tail.
New Zealand, sent into bat first, received a flying start from George Worker and Colin Munro who reached 50 off 40 deliveries before Sheldon Cottrell removed Munro (30) and his replacement Neil Broom (six) in quick succession.
Worker, dropped on seven, progressed to 58 for his second successive half century against the West Indies.
Ross Taylor posted 58 and with his departure New Zealand were five for 186, leaving Nicholls and Astle to build the formidable target.
Nicholls’ 83 came off 62 balls and included two sixes and seven fours, while Astle faced 45 deliveries for his 49, but only reached the boundary three times.
For the West Indies, Cottrell took three for 62.
The West Indies struggled throughout their reply with Shai Hope’s 23, their best performance with the bat.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and