New Zealand batsmen Corey Anderson and Jesse Ryder put on a 42-ball century stand, before both making astonishing tons, as the Black Caps beat the West Indies by 159 runs on New Year’s Day in Queenstown.
The Kiwis batted first in the reduced third ODI, batting for just 21 overs to score their explosive 283 for four. This left the Windies with an impossible chase, as they needed 13 runs to the over from the start.
The visitors managed to make 124 for five in their 21 overs, with Dwayne Bravo’s 56 not out the highlight, as their win became mathematically impossible with 35 balls to go.
Rain delayed the start of the match for a long time, hence the huge reduction, with the Windies leading the series one-nil. They won the toss and chose to field first, which proved to be a monumentally huge mistake,
After the departures of Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor for relatively low scores, it was all about Anderson and Ryder, the latter continuing to impress after his coma last year. His ton, off 46 balls, was the sixth fastest in ODI history.
But it was Anderson’s 131 not out off 47 balls that really captured the imagination. His 100 was the fastest one-day ton, beating Shahid Afridi’s long-time record, as he struck it off 36 balls and hit 14 sixes.
The Windies bowlers did not have much time to get used to his batting, as he struck four sixes off one Sunil Narine over, and then did the same a few minutes later off Ravi Rampaul.
The target set was always going to be unlikely, even more so after Johnson Charles fell for a duck in the first over. From there, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Powell and Chadwick Walton all departed for less than 20 each.
Only Bravo showed some resistance, but it was more for his own personal records as the game faded out. With the series level and two games to play, the sides will hope rain doesn’t further hamper the series.
