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• “This is my dream”: Rutherford rates 68* against New Zealand as best knock of his career

  West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford rates his well-compiled half century against New Zealand at the ICC T20 World Cup on Wednesday as his best knock.

  The 25-year-old came to the crease with the hosts teetering at 22-4 in the sixth over after bring put in to bat at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.

  On a pitch that he described as “tacky” and “spongy” in the post-match press conference, Rutherford took his time in the early part of his innings before accelerating to a top score of 68* to help the West Indies post a match-winning 149-9 from their allotted 20 overs.

  Rutherford described the innings as perhaps the best of his career, so far.

  “I will put it as my best knock. It’s a World Cup. This is my dream. I’ve always wanted to play in a World Cup and this one is going to stay close to my heart. Hopefully, I can continue to take out good innings like this for my team and for myself,” he said.

  At the halfway point of the innings, the West Indies were 49-5 and Rutherford says head coach Daren Sammy’s advice was to bat time and take it deep.

  “He was just telling me to take it deep. I was batting with Akeal (Hosein) so I told him to keep going but my role was to basically take it to the 15^th or 16^th over but after we lost wickets I just told myself to try and take it to the 20^th over and try and maximize those last two overs which they had to make up with two bowlers,” he said.

  The Guyanese hard-hitter was recently a part of the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders and, despite not getting a game, he says he has been using that time to prepare for situations like the one he faced on Wednesday.

  “I pattern my game off these situations. Even before the World Cup, I try to put myself in positions in the nets where I have to bat properly and then have to excel in the end so I think it’s good to see that my plans and my work are coming to show,” he said.

  He faced a similar situation when the West Indies found themselves 79-5 batting first in the third T20I against Australia in Perth in February.

  Rutherford and Andre Russell put on 139 for the sixth wicket with Rutherford finishing 67* off 40 balls.

  He says the main thing he took from that innings was the importance of giving himself time at the crease.

  “The innings in Australia is one that I kept close to me and, even though it was a good innings, I try to pick a few things out of it. One of the few things was give myself time. It’s always a process and when you look too far ahead you can forget about the process so, for me, it was just ball after ball, give myself time, run singles and get myself ready so that in the back end I can make up,” he said.

  Finally, Rutherford made mention of the crowd at the Brian Lara Stadium.

  “When batting I try not to worry about the crowd. I just try to look at what’s in front of me and focus on the process but it’s good to have some support. It’s good to have the home crowd with us and hopefully they can keep supporting us,” he said.

  The West Indies will next take on Afghanistan at the Daren Sammy Stadium on June 17.

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Motie wins ICC Player of the Month award for May

  West Indies’ spinner Gudakesh Motie has become just the second player from his side to secure an ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.

  2024 is turning out to be a fairly rewarding year for West Indies players.

  In January, young star Shamar Joseph won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for his sensational performance that led to the unforgettable victory over Australia at the Gabba. Now, teammate Motie has secured the Player of the Month award for May 2024.

  The left-arm spinner beat out competition from Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker to win the award.

  Motie, who continues to shine during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, had a host of brilliant outings during May.

  He enjoyed plenty of success in the three-match home series against South Africa, picking up eight wickets across three matches at an average of 8.50.

  On the back of his performance, the hosts sealed a statement 3-0 victory in Jamaica.

  Motie picked up 3/25 in the opening contest to restrict the tourists’ chase and he backed that performance up with another impressive spell of three for 22 to stifle the middle-order in the second fixture as well.

  Another two wickets in the final match turned the tide in favour of the hosts once more and allowed the 29-year-old to claim the Player of the Series accolade.

  In the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup, Motie has shown fine form and picked five wickets at an average of 11.

  Motie was excited to accept the award and is hoping he can continue his excellent recent form and help the West Indies succeed at the T20 World Cup.

  “It means a lot to me and I am very happy to win this award. It’s very encouraging, I have put in a lot of work during this season and I am happy that I am seeing the rewards now," Motie said.

  “The standout performance for me during the series against South Africa was the first game, where I took three for 25. The third wicket that night was my favourite.

  “Playing in a World Cup means a lot to me, and playing at home in front of our fans and knowing the conditions is also special. We have started strongly, playing three games and getting three wins, and I see us going all the way and lifting that cup on 29 June.”

   

   

   

• Rutherford the difference for West Indies, says Powell and Williamson

  Captains Kane Williamson and Rovman Powell were in agreement that Sherfane Rutherford was the difference in West Indies' 13-run victory over New Zealand. 

  Rutherford hit an unbeaten 68 off 39 balls for the co-hosts as the Windies secured a 13-run victory over their opponents to reach the Super-8 stage at the T20 World Cup.

  The 25-year-old came to the crease with West Indies 22-4 inside the powerplay, and responded with a career-best effort that repaired the early damage, including hitting 37 runs from the final two overs to secure the win. 

  "We told the guys that somebody has to play a blinder," Powell said after the match. "It wasn't going to be an easy wicket because of the inclement weather.

  "We always believe that individual brilliance in T20 cricket is needed some time and Sherfane's innings was a fantastic knock. It gave us confidence and at the halfway mark, we believed [we could win]."

  The result sees New Zealand on the brink of elimination from the tournament following their 84-run defeat to Afghanistan in their opening group fixture, with Williamson admitting his side were beaten by a beautifully timed innings by Rutherford. 

  "The margins in the match are fine and in conditions like that, two or three balls where the match-up suits, that can be the difference," Williamson said at his post-match press conference.

  "We saw a fantastic knock from Rutherford and he certainly timed it beautifully and got his match-up. I think at the end of the day, that was the difference."