Close but so far - Brathwaite magic almost gives Windies unlikely win

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

Carlos Brathwaite crumbled to his knees, devastated that his last big shot to try and finish off one of the most unlikely comebacks in Cricket World Cup history wasn’t two yards wider or higher.

Nobody really gave him a chance of getting so close. But after scoring 101 from 82 balls, working with three tail-end batters to add 122 runs, he got West Indies into a scenario where they needed six runs off seven balls for victory of previously unbeaten New Zealand.The 30-year-old all-rounder clobbered 25 runs off the 48th over from Matt Henry then couldn’t add another run on the first three balls of the penultimate over from Jimmy Neesham.

He took two runs to reach his first one-day international century, faced another dot ball, and then had the choice: Hit a six from the last ball against Neesham or take a single and try to score five runs in the last six balls. Not even the New Zealanders would say who was going to bowl the last over.And so he launched the last ball of the 49th over down toward the long-on boundary hoping, he said, “will it to go up, and up and up,” and over the rope for six runs. Why not? He’d belted five sixes earlier in the innings.But this time, New Zealander Trent Boult was there to take a catch just inside the boundary rope. Game over. New Zealand wins by five runs, and takes the lead in the World Cup standings.

“It’s a game of margins. One or two yards more, we would have been victorious tonight,” Brathwaite said. “I’m not going to beat myself up because the ball should have gone for six and we should have won.”The New Zealanders, after holding on to win a tight game for the third time in the tournament, gathered around Brathwaite to commend him on the remarkable innings. In the moment, he was barely aware of anyone around him.

“Obviously heartbreaking to get so close but not get over the line,” Brathwaite said. “Devastated ... but also giving thanks for the performance – even getting the team into the position we got into.”West Indies won the toss and sent New Zealand into bat, taking two wickets in the first over before the Kiwis rallied to post 291-8 in 50 overs.In reply, West Indies was 142-2 before things started to go haywire. Shimron Hetmeyer (54) and Chris Gayle (87) put on 122 runs for the third wicket but were both out in a slide of five wickets for 22 runs in 28 balls.

41-run partnership

Brathwaite had to come in block the hat-trick ball after Lockie Ferguson took two wickets with consecutive deliveries. He did that and continued with the lower-order batsmen. When everyone else was writing them off, Brathwaite kept batting with Kemar Roach (14), Sheldon Cottrell (15) and Oshane Thomas. He shared a 41-run partnership for the last wicket with Thomas, scoring every run.

“Obviously came close. Give credit to the lower order, everyone that came in. Everyone believed we could get over the line,” Brathwaite said. “The fight that the lower order showed was commendable.”