{ "id": "2230", "author": "13", "cnmid": "0", "title": "Fletcher half-century in vain as Black Caps clinch opener", "lang": "en", "series": "0", "cup_year": "2000", "article_type": "General", "excerpt": "West Indies lost the opening match of the doubleheader against New Zealand by 12 runs under the Duckworth\/Lewis method here Saturday", "subtype": "", "editor1": "

Roseau (Dominica), July 6 (IANS\/CMC) Andre Fletcher's second half-century in Twenty20 Internationals was in vain as West Indies lost the opening match of the doubleheader against New Zealand by 12 runs under the Duckworth\/Lewis method here Saturday.
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\r\nSent in at Windsor Park, the West Indies mustered 132 for eight in a match reduced to 18 overs per side because of rain, with the right-handed Fletcher striking the top score of 52 from 39 balls, reports CMC.
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\r\nIn reply, the Black Caps had reached 117 for four after 15 overs, when bad light stopped play.
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\r\nThe end proved anticlimactic as the game was shaping up for an interesting finish, with the visitors needing 16 runs from 18 balls.
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\r\nCaptain Brendon McCullum top scored with 40 from 35 balls while the enterprising Ross Taylor was unbeaten on 28 from 20 deliveries.
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\r\nCaptain Darren Sammy, in his first game for the West Indies since losing his Test captaincy, finished with three for 23 from his three overs.
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\r\nEarlier, West Indies were off to a poor start, losing both openers cheaply to stumble to ten for two in the third over.
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\r\nLendl Simmons was lbw to left-arm seamer Trent Boult in the second over for one and Dwayne Smith was taken on the deep mid-wicket boundary off seamer Tim Southee for eight.
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\r\nFletcher, named Man-of-the-Match, put on 88 for the third wicket with left-hander Darren Bravo, who scored 30, as West Indies rebuilt their innings.
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\r\nThe pair shrugged aside a 1-1\/2 hour break for rain to lay the platform for a challenging total with Fletcher hitting a four and four sixes and Bravo hammering two sixes, in 28 balls at the crease.
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\r\nBravo looked in good touch, getting off the mark with an upper-cut for six off Boult prior to the rain break before clearing leg-spinner Ish Sodhi over long on resumption.
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\r\nFletcher was equally fluent, belting Boult over long on for six in the first over after the interruption, before clearing the straight boundary Sodhi and following up with a four in the same area, which cost 15 runs.
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\r\nThey were separated in the 13th over at 98 for three when Bravo top-edged a short ball from seamer Corey Anderson behind to wicket-keeper Luke Ronchi and Fletcher followed seven balls later, squirting Sodhi to Boult at third man, to leave the West Indies on 104 for four in the 15th over.
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\r\nKieron Pollard lashed a run-a-ball 16 and Sammy struck a four and a six in scoring ten, as the Windies scrambled precious runs at the end.
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\r\nSeamers Tim Southee (2-20), Boult (2-28) and Anderson (2-32) shared the wickets.
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\r\nLeft-arm pacer Krishmar Santokie then struck early for West Indies, prising out the dangerous Jimmy Neesham for 11 in the second over of the innings after the left-hander blasted a six and a four.
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\r\nMcCullum and Williamson, who got 19 from 18 balls, put on 53 for the second wicket to bring New Zealand back on course. McCullum hit three fours and a six while Williamson struck two fours before becoming Sammy's first victim, brilliantly caught and bowled in the ninth over.
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\r\nTaylor arrived to blast two sixes and a four - all in one over from pacer Andre Russell - in a 30-run stand with McCullum who eventually perished in the 13th over, pulling Sammy to Smith in the deep at 95 for three.
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\r\nWith conditions worsening, Anderson struck a few lusty blows in scoring 15 from nine balls to ensure New Zealand were ahead on the D\/L method, before popping a catch to short fine leg off Sammy.
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\r\nWest Indies: 132 for eight off 18 overs (Andre Fletcher 52, Darren Bravo 30; Tim Southee 2\/20, Trent Boult 2\/28, Corey Anderson 2\/32).
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\r\nNew Zealand: 117 for four off 15 overs (Brendon McCullum 40, Ross Taylor 28 not out; Darren Sammy 3\/22)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2015\/02\/18be1c9622cbcc187b82167108f459fd.jpg", "alt_img": "A Fletcher", "alt_title": "A Fletcher", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "Scorecard", "seo_desc": "West Indies lost the opening match of the doubleheader against New Zealand by 12 runs under the Duckworth\/Lewis method here Saturday", "seo_keywords": "West Indies Vs New Zealand Cricket News", "tag": "", "tagging": "", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "0", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "fletcher-half-century-in-vain-as-black-caps-clinch-opener", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "1628", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "0", "auto_link": "0", "created": "2015-02-10 04:19:00", "updated": "2015-02-10 04:19:00", "img_from": "", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": null, "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "1", "jio_date": "2015-02-10 04:19:00", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2015-02-10 04:19:00", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/fletcher-half-century-in-vain-as-black-caps-clinch-opener-2230" }