TAROUBA, Trinidad and Tobago (AFP)— Sherfane Rutherford rescued the West Indies from a seemingly hopeless position to a competitive 149 for nine batting first against New Zealand in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Wednesday.

Rutherford’s unbeaten 68 off 39 balls (two fours, six sixes) lifted the home side from the depths of 30 for five in the seventh over after they were put in by Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson.

He received invaluable support from the lower order, adding 28 with Akeal Hosein for the sixth wicket, 27 with Romario Shepherd for the eighth and then plundered all 37 runs in the last two overs of the innings with last man Gudakesh Motie happy to look on from the non-striker’s end.

Earlier, Trent Boult led New Zealand’s much-improved effort by dispatching Johnson Charles in the first over of the match, finishing with the excellent figures of three for 16.

He received good support from Lockie Ferguson and the recalled Tim Southee with two wickets each as the 2021 beaten finalists, humiliated in their opening fixture against Afghanistan in Guyana last week, looked tuned-in and turned-on for what is effectively a must-win situation for them in seeking to advance to the Super Eight phase of the competition.

After victories over Papua New Guinea and Uganda at the Guyana National Stadium, West Indies seemed unprepared for the challenge, until Rutherford intervened to transform what was shaping up as an abject capitulation.