Stephen Fleming was a hugely relieved skipper when fast bowler Andre Adams knocked over Mervyn Dillon’s stumps to give New Zealand a hard-fought 20-run win over West Indies in their World Cup cricket match at St George’s Park on Thursday.
In front of 9 500 spectators, the Black Caps hit back after Monday’s loss to Sri Lanka to total 241 for seven in 50 overs and then dismiss the Windies for 221 in the final over.
It keeps their hopes alive of making the Super Sixes of the competition although Fleming acknowledged that they would have a tough encounter with Shaun Pollock’s South Africans in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Remarkably, the win yesterday was the first one-day international victory for a New Zealand side in South Africa after two tours in the past decade when they failed to win a limited overs fixture.
”It was a huge relief and I think you could see it in the field,” said Fleming at the post-match press conference. ”There was a lot of anxiety in the team before this match and it wasn’t a flashy performance. It was more workmanlike, but we took our chances in the field and that was something special.”
After reaching their reasonable but not daunting total of 241, Fleming said they knew they would have to make a good start when the West Indies batted.
”We knew we had to make a good start to the innings when the ball is hard because that’s when it’s easiest to bat,” Fleming said.
”Brian Lara’s run out was a key moment, but not the pivotal one I think because the first five or six overs were outstanding in creating the pressure.
”It was good that we responded to the situation and were able to
win when we needed to.” While doubt still exists about New
Zealand’s match with Kenya in Nairobi on February 21, Fleming said
yesterday their decision to go would not be influenced by what
happened in the match against South Africa on Sunday.
”That won’t have any bearing on the decision, which is a process New Zealand cricket and the ICC are working through on a day by day
basis,” Fleming said.
On Thursday, CWC executive director Ali Bacher said a final decision on New Zealand’s match in Kenya would be taken on Sunday night. The New Zealanders are reluctant to play in Kenya because of security concerns.
West Indies captain Carl Hooper had no excuses for the defeat, saying: ”It was not a case of complacency, we batted poorly today and we need to pick ourselves up from that.”
Hooper acknowledged a weakness in the West Indies attack towards the end of the innings as New Zealand repeated South Africa’s performance on Sunday by scoring freely in the last 15 overs.
”(Fast bowler) Merv Dillon is not happy bowling at the death and we are struggling to find someone to do that job with Vasbert Drakes,” Hooper said. ”Teams are scoring freely at the end against us and it’s something we have to look at.” – Sapa