Shimron Hetmyer slams his second ODI fifty versus NZ: Stats
What's the story
West Indies ended their five-match ODI series against New Zealand on a high note, winning by two wickets in the fifth and final match. The hosts chased down a target of 269 runs with 15 balls to spare in Barbados, thanks to an unbeaten knock of 69 from Shimron Hetmyer. He formed a crucial partnership of 95 runs with Sherfane Rutherford to power the run chase. Here we look at his performance and stats.
Early challenges
Hetmyer powers the home team
Each of WI's top-four batters breached the 20-run mark, but none were able to convert their starts.
The real turnaround came when Rutherford (61) and Hetmyer took charge of the chase, despite a few quick wickets that put pressure on their side.
They recorded a 95-run partnership for the fifth wicket, which proved instrumental in WI's victory.
Hetmyer batted with intent to keep the required run rate in check.
The match further saw some twists and turns as West Indies went from 218/4 to 248/8.
With 21 runs still needed for victory, Hetmyer kept his composure and guided his team home.
Match-winning performance
Hetmyer shines in pressure situation
Hetmyer kept his cool under pressure and hit two crucial sixes to guide his team home.
Reflecting on his match-winning knock, he said, "I wasn't really thinking about getting a half-century to be honest, I was just thinking about how... I can make sure the team crosses the line."
He added that he was just happy to be there at the end for his team's victory. Though WI prevailed in this contest, they lost the series 2-3.
Stats
Hetmyer's 10th 50-plus score in ODIs
Hetmyer's unbeaten 69 came off just 64 balls. He smoked two fours and four maximums.
This was his fifth ODI fifty as he also owns as many hundreds, as per Cricinfo.
He has now raced to 1,638 runs across 59 matches at an average of 32.76. His strike rate is a stunning 105.26.
180 of his runs have come across five games against the Kiwis at 45 (50s: 2).