A demoralised West Indies side proved no match for the Kiwis once again as they suffered a painstaking defeat in the second T20I of the three-match series in Jamaica on August 12. The Caribbean men conceded a series-winning lead to the tourists, managing just 125/9 in response to the their gigantic 215/5.
While the victory was a tribute to their allround display and much stronger game than their West Indies counterparts, the Black Caps had two stand-out performers for the clash.
One of them was their explosive middle-order batter Glenn Phillips, who smashed his way to a knock of 76 off 41 deliveries and played a handsome role in allowing New Zealand to overhaul the 200-mark.
Entering the pitch at No.4, with Kiwis in a spot of bother at 2 for 36, Phillips stitched critical partnerships with opening batter Devon Conway (42) and Daryl Mitchell (48). Mitchell played a terrific cameo, nearly recording a half-century in his 20-ball stay.
The other of New Zealand’s stand-out man was left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who was fantastic with the new ball inside the powerplay overs and got rid of Windies openers Kyle Mayers and Shamarh Brooks in his spell of 3 for 15 off his 4 overs.
Phillips took the game past West Indies with bat in hand, before Santner crushed their spirits into submission. Kiwi allrounder Michael Bracewell was also amongst the wickets, bagging figures of 3 for 15, too, in a spell that included the prized scalp of opposition skipper and their dangerous powerhitter Nicholas Pooran.
In a sorry-looking scorecard, Obed McCoy (23) and Rovman Powell (21) were the only West Indies players to enter the twenties. It was them who helped the hosts bat out their quota of 20 overs, with still another 90 runs required for a win.
Brief scores
New Zealand 215/5 in 20 overs (Phillips 76, Mitchell 48; McCoy 3/40) beat West Indies 125/9 in 20 overs (McCoy 23*; Santner 3/15, Bracewell 3/15) by 90 runs
