West Indies 159-5 (Denesh Ramdin 55*, Andre Fletcher 40, Adam Milne 2-22, Nathan McCullum 1-17) lost by 4 wickets to BLACKCAPS 163-6 in 19 overs (Luke Ronchi 51*, Ross Taylor 39, Jesse Ryder 23).
The BLACKCAPS secured a 2-0 ANZ Twenty20 Series victory at Westpac Stadium in Wellington tonight, toughing out a four wicket victory over the West Indies.
The West Indies responded to their Eden Park thumping with a competitive 159 for six in the first innings, led by Denesh Ramdin who made an unbeaten 55. Ross Taylor (39) anchored in the BLACKCAPS pursuit, but it was Luke Ronchi who top-scored with an unbeaten 51, providing many fireworks along the way. Jimmy Neesham (14*) ultimately finished the job off, bringing up the winning runs with an over to spare.
The BLACKCAPS got off to a rollicking start when Jesse Ryder smashed the second ball of their innings into the crowd, before Guptill departed off the final ball of that over, leaving the BLACKCAPS eight for one.
Ryder (22) and Brendon McCullum (17) made entertaining cameos, but failed to kick on. In need of a partnership, Ross Taylor came to the crease and played patiently, but continued to see wickets fall around him.
With seven overs remaining the BLACKCAPS required 66, when Ronchi joined Taylor at the crease. While Taylor was happy to keep milking singles, Ronchi was at his belligerent best. The 32-year-old quickly gave his home crowd plenty to cheer about and a couple of opportunities to win a $100,000, smashing two sixes and bringing up his half-century off just 25 balls.
There were plenty of nerves at home and in the crowd as WASP reeled from 5% at one point to 99%, but apparently, none on the field. When Taylor departed, Jimmy Neesham nervelessly finished the match off with a 14 from six balls to get the BLACKCAPS home.
In the West Indies first-innings, Ramdin and Andre Fletcher (40) had performed somewhat of a recovery job for their side, having at one stage been 67 for four in the 11th over.
Speedster Adam Milne backed up his electric display at Eden Park in the opening Twenty20, registering figures of two for 22 from four overs, and was first to strike, capturing the wicket of Johnson Charles for seven in the fourth over.
Mitchell McClenaghan then got in on the act taking Lendl Simmons, before a beauty from Nathan McCullum went straight through Dwayne Bravo to send the captain packing for 12. Chawdick Walton went for a duck courtesy of an edge off Milne and the West Indies were in a precarious position.
However, the experience of Ramdin soon shone through, guiding his team through to a competitive total.
A helping hand from Fletcher steadied the West Indies ship initially, before Ramdin began his attack. He punished the BLACKCAPS seamers, crunching three sixes and three fours on his way to a 26-ball half-century.
McCullum was once again in fine form with ball in hand, restricting the West Indies to just 17 from his four overs and taking a wicket in the process.
The BLACKCAPS will be heartened at the momentum they've been able to build after the wobble in Hamilton - there's not much of a break though, with the first One Day International against India on Sunday at McLean Park in Napier coming up fast.
