The New Zealand U-19 side managed to make light of what looked like a gloomy Wednesday for them. Back home, their senior men’s team in Hamilton grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory against India as they once again suffered agony in the Super Over.
In Benoni, the young Black Caps managed stunned West Indies despite reeling at 153/8 chasing 239. However, there was a stunning twist to the tale as the ongoing U-19 World Cup witnessed another surge from the tail-enders. No 9 Joey Field and No 10 Kristian Clarke joined hands to take New Zealand into the semi-finals with just two balls left in the game. Clarke, apart from scoring an unbeaten 46, had also bagged an impressive 4/25 with the ball.
However, the moment of the match came in the first essay. West Indies batsman Kirk McKenzie held his team together with a battling innings and was dismissed one short of a well-deserved century. Struggling with an injury, he could barely walk off the field but New Zealand, the nice guys of the sport, came to McKenzie’s rescue. The left-hander was carried off the field to applause from the West Indian support staff and the sparse crowd, who got their money’s worth.
Watch Kirk McKenzie being chaired off the field here:
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