West Indies win 3rd T20I; New Zealand win series 2-1
West Indies earned a consolation win, beating New Zealand by eight wickets in the third T20I at Sabina Park, Kingston. The Caribbeans successfully chased 146, with Shamarh Brooks scoring an unbeaten 56. Earlier in the match, Odean Smith registered three wickets, setting the foundation for WI's win. However, the Kiwis won the three-match series 2-1. Here are the key stats.
How did the match pan out?
New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals after skipper Kane Williamson elected to bat first. Glenn Phillips turned out to be NZ's top scorer, having slammed 41 off 26 balls. Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, and Devon Conway got starts but failed to capitalize. Odean Smith and Akeal Hosein shared five wickets. Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks added a century stand to power WI's chase.
Losing streak ends!
West Indies finally put an end to their losing streak in T20 Internationals. They were winless in the last five T20Is (three to India and two to New Zealand). The Caribbeans now have a win-loss record of 11-7 in T20Is in 2022.
King, Brooks fuel WI's win
As stated, WI openers King and Brooks shared a 102-run stand to fuel the run-chase. King slammed 53 off 35 balls (4 fours and 3 sixes), his fifth half-century in T20I cricket. His partner Brooks slammed an unbeaten 56 off 59 balls, a knock laced with 3 fours and 2 sixes. It was his maiden fifty in the format.
Leading run-scorer in T20Is
Once again, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill overtook Indian captain Rohit Sharma to become the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket. He now has 3,497 runs from 121 matches at an average of 31.79 and a strike rate of 135.80. Rohit (3,487) and Virat Kohli (3,308) follow Guptill on the runs tally. In fact, these three are the only players with over 3,000 T20I runs.
