Shimron Hetmyer held his nerve late in run chase to make an unbeaten 69 and steer West Indies to a two-wicket win over New Zealand on Tuesday in the fifth and final one-day cricket international. New Zealand took the series 3-2, clinching it in Game 4 after winning Game 2 by five wickets and Game 3 by six wickets in a comeback following West Indies’ seven-wicket victory in the opening game.
Hetmyer’s fifth ODI half-century and his partnership of 95 with Sherfane Rutherford (61) allowed the West Indies to reach 269-8 in reply to New Zealand’s 268-9 with 15 balls remaining. All five matches in the series were won by the team batting second.
When Hetmyer and Rutherford were together in a fifth-wicket partnership that built on the foundation set by Shai Hope (39) and Keacy Carty (20) - who put on 59 for the third wicket - West Indies looked like winning with ease. Rutherford was out when West Indies was 218-5, needing 41 to win with almost 10 overs remaining, and then Gudakesh Motie fell at 239-6.