PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (Reuters) – Ross Taylor’s batting heroics went in vain as New Zealand crashed out of World Twenty20 following their agonising Super Over defeat by West Indies yesterday.
The win helped West Indies clinch a spot in the final four of the World Twenty20 Championship after defending champions England lost to Sri Lanka in the second match of the double-header here.
The New Zealand skipper hit an unbeaten

62 to tie the score and force the Super Over only to watch his team succumb to a second such defeat in the tournament.
For them, Tim Southee sent down a poor Super Over, starting off with a no-ball that Chris Gayle hit for a six. His fifth delivery was also hit out of the park by Marlon Samuels as West Indies won the contest to keep alive their semi-final hopes.
“When the first ball is a no-ball and goes for a six, it ruins the over a lot,” a dejected Taylor said in the post-match presentation ceremony. “That’s cricket, we are going home now.”
“It was a good game; probably we should have won in normal time. But credit to West Indies, they came back and fought hard. To score 18 off five balls in Super Over is pretty awesome,” Taylor added.
New Zealand bowlers vindicated Taylor’s decision to bowl first in the group one match, skittling out West Indies for 139 in 19.3 overs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Chris Gayle hit three fours and two sixes in his 14-ball 30 while Marlon Samuels (24) and Kieron Pollard (28) also chipped in with useful cameos but West Indies managed a below-par score despite reaching 86 for three at the half-way mark.
Doug Bracewell provided New Zealand with the early breakthrough, dismissing Johnson Charles and Andre Russell in his first spell before returning to remove Pollard to finish with figures of three for 31.
Southee (3-21), who had removed the dangerous Gayle, claimed two more wickets as West Indies managed 53 runs in the second half of their innings losing the last seven wickets.
New Zealand’s chase never really gained momentum until Taylor came out to bat, hitting three sixes and as many boundaries in his unbeaten 40-ball knock to tie the score.
Off-spinner Narine put a break on the New Zealand run-rate, capturing three wickets for 20 runs which also earned him the man-of-the-match award.
“He delivered today. We all know what he is capable of doing, like bowling in pressure situations,” West Indies captain Darren Sammy said.
“And also Marlon Samuels. He’s suffering from bad shoulders and that’s why he doesn’t bowl too many overs.”
Needing 14 runs off the last over bowled by Samuels, Taylor hit the fourth ball for a six before taking a single in the next to leave Bracewell with two to score off the last delivery for a victory.
Bracewell managed a single and was run-out when going for two as New Zealand finished on 139 for seven.
Samuels bowled the Super Over for West Indies, conceding 17 runs and returned to score the winning runs.
It was New Zealand’s second Super Over loss in the tournament, following Thursday’s defeat against Sri Lanka.

WEST INDIES innings
J. Charles c & b Bracewell 8
C. Gayle c wkp. B McCullum b Southee 30
A. Russell c Franklin b Bracewell 6
M. Samuels c Southee b N McCullum 24
D. Bravo b N McCullum 16
K. Pollard c Taylor b Bracewell 28
D. Ramdin c Taylor b Hira 1
D. Sammy c Franklin b Southee 11
S. Narine  b Southee 3
S. Badree b Oram 1
R. Rampaul not out 1
Extras: (lb2, w6, nb2) 10
Total: (all out, 19.3 overs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Charles), 2-36 (Russell) 3-61 (Gayle), 4-87 (Samuels), 5-98 (Bravo), 6-102 (Ramdin), 7-123 (Sammy), 8-133 (Pollard, 9-136 (Narine).
Bowling: Mills 2-0-25-0 (nb-1), Bracewell 4-0-31-3, Southee 4-0-21-3 (w-2), Oram 1.3-0-17-1 (w-1, nb-1), Hira 4-0-24-1 (w-2), McCullum 4-0-19-2.

NEW ZEALAND innings
R. Nicol lbw b Rampaul 3
M. Guptill c Samuels b Sammy 21
B. McCullum b Badree 22
R. Taylor not out 62
J. Franklin c Gayle b Narine 14
J. Oram lbw b Narine 6
N. McCullum c Charles b Narine 5
D. Bracewell run-out 1
Extras: (lb-2, w-2, nb-1) 5
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Nicol), 2-41 (B McCullum), 3-52 (Guptill), 4-85 (Franklin), 5-115 (Oram), 6-125 (N McCullum), 7-139 (Bracewell).
Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-23-1, Badree 4-0-18-1, Narine 4-0
-23-3 (nb-1), Sammy 4-0-35-1 (w-1), Pollard 2-0-13-0, Gayle 1-0-15-0, Samuels 1-0-13-0 (w-1).
Points: West Indies 2, New Zealand 0