Quarter Final 4 : New Zealand vs. West Indies

The fourth Quarter Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was a cracker of a game. This match gave us the fifth double centurion in ODI Cricket- Martin Guptill. Scoring 237 runs off just 163 deliveries with the help of 24 fours and 11 sixes of which two sixes landed on the roof. He recorded the 6th ODI Double Hundred in ODI Cricket. It was totally a one sided game with New Zealand completely dominating it.

It all started as Brendon Mcullum won the toss and elected to bat first to post a big total on the board  and putting some pressure on the opposition. The two completely different players came onto the field - one an aggressive hitter in brendon Mcullum and the other one who is self-composed and steady- Martin Guptill. Brendon Mcullum's stay at the crease was not long as he was sent back by the West Indian fast bowler jerome Taylor while Guptill at the other end was looking to bat out the initial period where the ball was swinging a bit. he was joined by Kane Williamson , the New Zealand batting sensation. He supported Guptill as he scored 33 off 35 before getting out. now in came one of New Zealand's most experienced campaigners , Ross Taylor ! As he we all know he is a bit defensive and takes some time initially before launching out on the bowlers , he slogged his way to 44 off 60 odd deliveries. just when it was time for him to accelerate , he was run out by Benn/Ramdin. The new batsman was the second fastest century record holder in ODIs , Corey Anderson. The all rounder showed his natural game by looking to score from the first few deliveries itself. his stay did not last long as he got out thanks to a one hander by Chris Gayle. But Guptill at the other end was looking very comfortable and sending the ball to all parts of the ground. The innings progressed as Grant Elliot , Ronchi chipped in with useful cameos. Daniel Vettori scored two fours off the two balls he faced ! So it took NZ to a HUGE total of 393/6 in 50 overs.

Fact : Martin Guptill played both the first as well as the penultimate ball of the New Zealand innings.

The West indies badly needed a Gayle storm. The two openers Gayle and Johnson Charles came in to open the West Indian innings. However Charles was soon back in the hut as he tried to make room for himself , looking to attack and relieve a bit of pressure. Gayle survived the first few balls but then showed his natural skills and started to attack. But was eventually bowled for 61 by the speedster Adam Milne. The rest of the batting never clicked. The other batsman who cut the defeat margin was the skipper Jason Holder as he scored 41 off just 26 balls.

So that was pretty much it from the game , Thank You for reading. Please do leave a comment supporting your view on this post.