Best game yet
What a stunning game. The NZ total of 393 was incredible, and Guptill’s 237 a peerless innings.
How many people thought we were in trouble when we lost McCallum for 12?
But credit also to the West Indies who didn’t admit defeat after NZ’s turn at the bat, and whacked the ball as hard as they could, maintaining the eight runs an over needed to win. Eventually the wickets started to tumble, but it wasn’t until they’d lost half or so of their team, that it looked in the bag for NZ.
Some stats from the amazing game:
- Guptill’s 237 (not out) the highest in any World Cup and the second highest in the history of international one day cricket
- The 153 runs scored in the last 60 balls by NZ – also a World Cup record and the second highest in ODI history
- Guptill scoring 120 runs off 43 balls at a 279 strike rate
- Guptill carrying his bat throughout the innings and scoring 61% of NZ’s runs
- Guptill scoring 35 boundaries – the second highest in ODI history
So NZ now play South Africa on Tuesday at Eden Park. And if we win there it is the final vs Australia or India on Sunday at the MCG.
South Africa won four and lost two in the pools. India has won all six pool games and Australia won four and lost one. But they came very close to beating NZ so if we make the final, either of them will be incredibly formidable.