Cricketer Dwayne Bravo inks music deal with US label

by K’Shema Francis August 5th, 2015. Trinidad and Tobago cricket all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has signed a music deal with Los Angles based entertainment company Venus Music Group.

Bravo’s latest venture follows years of dabbling in music as a hobby as well as after a global launch of his song Chalo Chalo featuring Nisha B.

Venus Music Group represents international superstars like Gladys Knight and Lisa Nichols.

Dwayne Bravo took home the coveted Purple Cap award for the most wickets taken in the India Premier League this season at the prestigious ESPY Awards.

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Cricketer Dwayne Bravo inks music deal with US label

Gayle May Start in #WorldCup quarter-final vs New Zealand

West Indies opening batsman, Chris Gayle, has undergone scans on his injured back and should be ready to play in the team’s World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand on Saturday, all-rounder Darren Sammy said yesterday.

Gayle missed the West Indies’ final pool match against the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, but Sammy said he believes Gayle will take his place in the line-up for the quarter-final. The injured batsman has received a cortisone injection to help with the pain.

“Chris is not missing this quarter-final for anybody,” Sammy said. “He is more pumped up than we are. He’s been writing down the path for us and the different scenarios.”

The two-time champion West Indies will start as considerable underdogs in Saturday’s match. New Zealand was unbeaten in pool play, while the West Indies had to win their final match and lift their net run rate to scrape into the knockout rounds with a 3-3 record.

Sammy said the teams’ records don’t count for anything in the knockout stages.

“We always believed, from the time the tournament started, the first goal was to reach the quarter-finals. After that, you’re two knockout games away from a World Cup final. We’ve won two, it’s been a long time, but New Zealand has not won any,” he said.

Sammy said the pressure should be much greater on New Zealand as the favourite and the home team.

“Here we are, a knockout game, so the pressure is on the home team,” he said. “They are the favourites to win, so the question is, what are they going to do when they play West Indies in a knockout?

“We’re not too bad in knockout games. We’re just going to enjoy it. The pressure is not on us.”

The West Indies last played New Zealand in the knockout rounds of a major tournament at the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2012. That match ended in a tie and the West Indies went on to win in a super over.

“It’s a big occasion, but we’re not going to be overwhelmed,” Sammy said. “We’ve played New Zealand in a quarter-final of a T20 World Cup before, and when it came down to crunch time, we won. Same set of players.

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“This time around, it won’t be any different, a full house rooting for New Zealand. but we know within our group, once we do the basics, the things we know, we can do well, we are unstoppable.”

Gayle May Start in #WorldCup quarter-final vs New Zealand

West Indies through to quarter-final

AFTER 42 matches in four weeks spread across 14 cities and two countries separated by sea, the Cricket World Cup has reached the quarter-final stage and cut six teams.

Co-host New Zealand finished unbeaten atop Pool A, including a low-scoring one-wicket win over four-time champion Australia, and defending champions India won six straight to top Pool B, an amazing form reversal after it failed to win a single competitive match on Australian soil in the two months leading up to the World Cup.

So, the quarter-finals will kick off Wednesday with 1996 champion Sri Lanka against South Africa – which has never won a knockout match at the World Cup – followed by India vs Bangladesh in Melbourne, Australia vs Pakistan in Adelaide and New Zealand hosting West Indies in Wellington on Saturday.

The only surprising absence from the last eight is England, which lost four of its six matches including heavy defeats to co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, a nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka and a 15-run defeat to Bangladesh.

Jockeying for quarter-final positions went down to the last match, with the winner of Sunday’s Pakistan vs Ireland game at the Adelaide Oval guaranteed of a spot in the knockout rounds and the loser certain to finish fifth, behind the fourth-place West Indies in Pool B.

The two-time champions West Indies beat the elements in a six-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates yesterday to secure a spot in the last eight.

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Needing to win emphatically to press for a top-four place in Pool B, and with a tropical cyclone looming, the West Indies had the UAE reeling at 26-5 before recovering to reach 175.

West Indies through to quarter-final

Watch: West Indies vs zimbabwe highlights [Video]

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Highlights from Tuesday’s World Cup Pool B match between West Indies and Zimbabwe at Manuka Oval in Canberra:

West Indies beat Zimbabwe by 73 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method).

Zimbabwe innings

1st over – Jerome Taylor takes the new ball for West Indies and concedes six runs, two from extras. ZIM: 6-0

2nd over – Jason Holder concedes a four to Sikandar Raza off his first delivery but three balls later traps Regis Chakabva lbw for two. The umpire initially turns down his appeal but the West Indies skipper demands a review, which shows no obvious inside edge and that the ball would have hit the leg stump. ZIM: 16-1

3rd over – Rain gets heavier again and the umpires call the players off midway through the over. ZIM: 18-1

The innings is resumed with Zimbabwe’s target trimmed to 363 from 48 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

5th over – Taylor strikes on the sixth ball after resumption. Hamilton Masakadza trapped lbw. Calls for a review but it was plumb in front. ZIM: 26-2

6th over – Raza hits back-to-back fours off Holder. ZIM: 34-2

8th over – Raza falls for 26 to Holder, holing out in the deep where Lendl Simmons has plenty of time to get in position and take the catch. ZIM: 46-3

10th over – Spinner Nikita Miller gives up four runs in his first ODI over in a year. ZIM: 54-3

12th over – Brendan Taylor paddles the ball into a gap in the field at long leg for a six. ZIM: 68-3

16th over – Sean Williams hits a four to third man on a reverse sweep to bring up the 50 partnership with Taylor. ZIM: 98-3

18th over – Miller’s fifth over goes for 10 runs with both batsmen hitting fours. ZIM: 115-3

21st over – Marlon Samuels breaks the partnership in controversial circumstances. An appeal for caught behind is denied but West Indies refer. TV replays show the ball came off the batsman’s arm but the umpire’s finger goes up in any case. Taylor trudges off with 37 runs in a partnership of 80. ZIM: 130-4

22nd over – Williams slashes at the ball and gets two runs to reach his 19th ODI half century. ZIM: 142-4

27th over – Craig Ervine hits back-to-back fours off Samuels for his first boundaries. ZIM: 174-4

28th over – Williams hits a single to square leg to bring up the 50 partnership with Ervine but is dismissed two balls later for 76. Holder, bowling around the wicket, sends down short ball that Williams tries to pull but only succeeds in sending it ballooning to Dwayne Smith at mid-wicket. ZIM: 177-5

30th over – Ervine hits a straight four then a brilliant six to square leg with a flick off the bottom of the bat. Another pulled four behind square gives him 16 off the over. ZIM: 197-5

31st over – Ervine, on 34, is dropped off Miller by Taylor on the boundary. ZIM: 205-5

33rd over – Ervine hooks the ball for four to bring up his sixth halfcentury. ZIM: 224-5

34th over – Chris Gayle comes into the attack with his right-arm spin and makes an immediate breakthrough, bowling Ervine for 52 off 41 balls. ZIM: 228-6

36th over – Gayle takes his second wicket, trapping Stuart Matsikenyeri leg before for 19. ZIM: 240-7

38th over – Tinashe Panyangara survives an appeal and referral for lbw off Gayle and Elton Chigumbura slogs the bowler for a six. ZIM: 254-7

39th over – Taylor has Panyangara caught behind for four courtesy of a nick off his gloves. ZIM: 256-8

41st over – Gayle gets his name on the scoreboard again with an athletic catch at extra cover to dismiss Elton Chigumbura for 21 off the bowling of Taylor. ZIM: 266-9

45th over – Miller gets his first wicket to end the Zimbabwe innings, bowling Tendai Chatara between bat and pad for 16. ZIM: 289 all out.

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West Indies innings

1st oval – Brilliant opening over from Tinashe Panyangara, who clean bowls Dwayne Smith with his second delivery and comes close to dismissing Chris Gayle lbw with his fourth. Zimbabwe request a review but technology shows the ball going just over the bails. WI: 3-1

3rd over – Marlon Samuels hits the first boundary of the innings, hammering a full, wide delivery from Panyangara to the offside rope for four. WI: 10-1

4th over – Gayle does not quite get hold of the ball but succeeds in hitting Tendai Chatara just over the fielder at mid-on for his first four. WI: 16-1

6th over – Gayle opens up with two clubbed fours but miscues a shot through extra cover on the fifth ball of Chatara’s over which Elton Chigumbura is just unable to reach. WI: 31-1

10th over – Another tight over from Chatara with just one four conceded through the covers from Samuels. West Indies will be pleased to have survived a rocky start to their innings. WI: 43-1

11th over – Sean Williams comes on to tempt Gayle with his left-arm spin but the big batsman comes out on top in the first over, slogging a big six high and over the long-on boundary. WI: 49-1

14th over – Chigumbura tightens the screws with another solid over but Samuels get four runs off the last two balls. WI: 61-1

17th over – Sikandar Raza brings his right-arm spin into the attack and almost makes the breakthrough Zimbabwe so desperately need. Samuels cuts it to point but the fielder drops it. WI: 73-1

18th over – Gayle gets a free-hit off Chigumbura and clubs the ball over extra cover for six. Brings up his 47th ODI half century in uncharacteristic style with a sprinted single. WI: 83-1

24th over – Gayle brings up the 100 runs, and century partnership, with a single to mid-off. Rain starting to fall on Manuka Oval. WI: 100-1

26th over – Rain increasingly heavy but Gayle perhaps looking more ominous for the Africans after hitting back-to-back sixes off Tafadzwa Kamungozi. WI: 121-1

28th over – A single off Hamilton Masakadza takes Gayle to 79 and gives him 9,000 runs in one-day internationals. WI: 131-1

29th over – Another six over long-on helps take Gayle to 89 in a eight-ball over in which Raza bowls a couple of wides. WI: 145-1

30th over – Just four singles in the over keeps the strike rate down as West Indies inch towards a respectable score. WI: 149-1

31st over – A single off Raza brings up the 150 partnership and three balls later another gives Samuels his 26th ODI half century. WI 154-1

33rd over – Gayle is five runs short of his century but Raza bowls a maiden to him. WI 158-1

36th over – Gayle reaches his 22nd ODI century with a single off the first over of the batting power play. Celebrates on the final ball of the over by flicking a Chatara delivery for six. WI 175-1

38th over – Panyangara comes back on for Zimbabwe but his hammered for 18 in his first over, the highlight a Gayle six over midwicket. WI 195-1

40th over – Panyangara’s second over of his second spell goes for 17, all but one from the bat of Gayle. WI 220-1

42nd over – It is Chigumbura’s turn to take some punishment with the West Indies batsmen milking 18 runs. 251-1

44th over – Gayle’s 12th six takes him to 161, past his previous best one-day international innings of 153 not out, which he scored against Zimbabwe in 2003. WI 279-1

46th over – Gayle’s 16th six equals the record for ODIs, currently held by India’s Rohit Sharma and South Africa’s AB de Villiers. Three balls later and a four makes him the first batsman to score a double century at a World Cup. WI 317-1

48th over – Samuels hits a four for his eighth century in ODIs and then grabs a single to make his partnership with Gayle the highest for any wicket in a one-day international. WI 334-1

50th over – Chatara is pulled off by the umpire for bowling two beamers in an over. Masakadza steps in for the last two balls and has Gayle caught in the deep for 215 with the second. WI 372-2

Watch: West Indies vs zimbabwe highlights [Video]

Chris Gayle hits first World Cup 200... amongst other records

West Indies opener Chris Gayle hit the first double century in World Cup history in their Pool B victory over Zimbabwe at Canberra.

The 35-year-old left-hander reached 200 off 138 balls, hitting Tendai Chatara for a boundary in the 46th over.

His mark eclipsed the unbeaten 188 by South Africa’s Gary Kirsten against the United Arab Emirates in 1996.

Gayle hit a total of 16 sixes in 147 balls before he was out for 215 off the last delivery of his side’s innings.

It was also only the fifth double century in all one-day internationals and the first by a non-Indian, with Rohit Sharma (two), Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag the only other batsmen to achieve the feat.

The stand of 372 with Marlon Samuels – after Dwayne Smith had departed for a second-ball duck – was also a record partnership for any ODI wicket, surpassing the 331 shared by India’s Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999.

The story of the innings

Gayle’s knock was almost ended by the very first ball he faced but the on-field umpire turned down Tinashe Panyangara’s lbw appeal and, despite a review showing the ball would have clipped the top of the bails, the original decision stood.

He went on to reach his 22nd one-day century from 105 balls before blasting his second hundred in only 33 deliveries.

From the final ball of the innings Gayle top-edged a catch high to midwicket.

Samuels finished unbeaten on 133 from 156 balls as West Indies amassed 372-2 from their 50 overs.

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After a short rain delay, Gayle then took two wickets with his part-time off-spin and a catch as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 289. The Windies won by 73 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Chris Gayle hits first World Cup 200... amongst other records

West Indies Record win against Pakistan... Highlights [Video]

Two most frustrating teams of these times matched each other mistake for mistake until West Indies took the decisive advantage in the last 14 overs of their innings and the first four of the defence. Having stumbled to 167 for 3 in 36 – with one batsman retired and possibly out of the tournament – they took 143 in the remaining overs thanks to urgency shown by Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell. Ramdin and Simmons scored fifties at a little over run a ball, and Russell threatened the record for fastest ODI fifty with an unbeaten 42 off 13. The contest was killed pretty early in the second innings with the Pakistan batting disintegrating to 1 for 4, the worst four-wicket score in ODI history.


The first 36 overs were a classic tussle between two middling sides refusing to drive home the advantage. Pakistan dropped at least four catches, their field placements – seven-footer Mohammad Irfan at long-on during the slog – left a lot to be desired, their ground fielding was pedestrian, West Indies openers made no pretence of trying to guts it out during the opening exchanges, their set batsmen chose part-time spin of Haris Sohail to hole out to long-off to, and a general lack of urgency prevailed as their top order mostly played either-boundary-or-dot cricket.

West Indies began the match in a sea of trouble, having lost to Ireland, needing to win here to get some breathing space. Once they were asked to bat in fresh morning conditions, it was a matter of when and not if the openers would fail. Dwayne Smith was given some extra time through a drop by Nasir Jamshed, Chris Gayle wasn’t. At 28 for 2 Marlon Samuels decided he was going to hit boundaries or nothing at all. Darren Bravo, although slow, provided the stability West Indies needed, and even Samuels settled into the stand. However, with the partnership reading 75 off 16.1 overs, Samuels picked out long-off with the first ball of the new spell of Haris.

Samuels and Smith had shown great self-respect in refusing to live off the Pakistan fielders’ generosity, but the increments had been big enough to take West Indies close to the last 20 overs with wickets in hands. Ramdin then played an innings that began to take the game away decisively. Ramdin disturbed the quiet of a ’70s ODI – lethargic fielding, lack of urgency in the batting – with the first modern play of the match. There was a certain intent to how he batted. Short-arm pulls, slog-sweeps, pinched singles, they threatened to run away with the game with 48 runs in 5.5 overs. Ramdin then showed more intent by calling for a Powerplay.

Bravo reprimanded

After having to retire hurt on 49 due to a hamstring injury, Darren Bravo was reprimanded by the ICC for use of obscene language, which is a breach of Level 1 Article 2.1.4 of the code of conduct.

Bravo admitted to the mistake and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee David Boon.

The next twist, a hamstring injury to Bravo minutes after he had been reprieved by Shahid Afridi. As he was taken off the field on the drinks cart, West Indies had to exercise some caution. Only 16 came in the Powerplay, but they didn’t lose any wicket. Pretty soon Ramdin rediscovered his range, only to hit Haris straight down long-off’s throat moments after bringing up his fifty.

West Indies were now effectively 194 for 5 with 11 overs to go. Darren Sammy, a rare modern West Indies cricketer, didn’t look in touch, but Simmons kept going. He had scored a hundred against Ireland to rescue West Indies. Now his job was to ensure his team didn’t lose control of the game once again. He targeted Haris sensibly to expose the lack of a fifth specialist bowler, hitting him for a six and two fours in the 42nd over. Some brilliance followed from Pakistan as Sohail Khan and Irfan conceded a total of 15 in 43rd, 44th and 45th overs. There was pressure, Simmons ramped Riaz straight to third man in the next over, but Irfan dropped him too.

Although Simmons added only six to his 44, Russell punished every little error in length by Pakistan. His hitting was flat and powerful. He has now scored 157 off 78 in his last four innings. His three fours and four sixes here took his boundary tally to 15 and 11 in the last four digs. He kept clearing his front leg and swinging, with Pakistan helping him by not bowling yorkers. They chose fancy variations over the yorkers, which had effectively slowed India down in Adelaide. As if it had not been enough to have to take four wickets twice over.

First of those reprieves came courtesy Jamshed, who had been brought in to strengthen the batting and let Younis Khan bat at his preferred No. 3. A worse day on the field is hard to imagine. When he dropped Smith, he injured his hand, didn’t field for the rest of the innings, and lasted two balls, playing a limp pull in the first over of the chase. Younis was facing the new ball yet again. Younis was all at sea again. Jerome Taylor got him with an outswinger, and Haris soon cut him straight to point to make it three ducks.

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When Ahmed Shehzad edged Jason Holder to gully, the game was over. There was only one twist left. Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood delayed the end without threatening to alter it, usually Misbah-ul-Haq’s constituency.

West Indies Record win against Pakistan... Highlights [Video]

West Indies shaky ahead of World Cup

West Indies made a feeble start to their World Cup campaign yesterday, producing another listless display to slump to a nine-wicket defeat to England in their first official warm-up.

Opting to bat under dreary skies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Caribbean side were bundled out for a hugely disappointing 122 off 29.3 overs.

Lendl Simmons, batting in the middle order, top scored with 45 while opener Dwayne Smith got 21.

They were the only batsmen to pass 20 and two of four to reach double figures, as pacer Chris Woakes capitalised on seamer-friendly conditions to destroy the Windies innings with five for 19.

His new ball partner Steven Finn claimed two for 23. In reply, England coasted to their target off just 22.5 overs, with opener Moeen Ali top scoring with 46 and his partner Ian Bell getting 35 not out.

The pair added 70 for the first wicket off 71 deliveries, with Moeen leading the charge with an uptempo knock off 43 balls with nine fours. When he drove speedster Kemar Roach to Darren Bravo at short cover in the 12th over, James Taylor entered to stroke an unbeaten 25 and post 55 in an unbroken, second-wicket stand with Bell.

The right-handed Bell faced 68 balls and counted two fours.

Winning the toss and strangely choosing to bat in bowler friendly conditions, West Indies were always up against it once they lost badly out-of-form opener Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo for first ball ‘ducks’ in the opening over.

Gayle, without a significant score in the last two years, gloved a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler off one from Woakes that lifted and off the very next ball, Bravo was squared up and nicked a simple catch behind.

Smith faced 23 balls and struck three fours but lacked conviction, and there was no surprise when he stabbed Woakes to Bell at second slip at 35 for three at the end of the seventh.

He put on 34 for the third wicket with Marlon Samuels who drove and cut Finn for boundaries in the seamer’s third over.

However, he followed Smith off the first delivery of the eighth over, bowled by Finn driving at a full length ball, with both feet planted on the crease.

At 35 for four, West Indies were in need of something special but it never came. Simmons, in his first international in nearly a month since recovering from a finger injury, offered brief respite with an enterprising knock that included four fours and a six and came from just 55 balls.

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West Indies face Scotland in their second and final official warm-up against Scotland on Thursday at the same

West Indies shaky ahead of World Cup

West Indies vs South Africa 2nd T20 Record 234 Runs Chased Highlights [Video]

South Africa vs West Indies 2nd T20 Record 234… by ftubehdwatch South Africa vs West Indies 2nd T20 Record 234 Runs Chased Highlights 11th Jan 2015

West Indies vs South Africa 2nd T20 Record 234 Runs Chased Highlights [Video]

Explosive "Chris Gayle" Lead W.I. to victory vs S.A. [Video]

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Explosive opener Chris Gayle announced his return to international cricket after nearly five months with a stunning half-century but West Indies made a meal of their target before stumbling past South Africa by four wickets in the opening Twenty20 International of the three-match series on Friday.

The 35-year-old left-hander, who has been side-lined in recent months by injury, slammed the fastest half-century by a West Indies batsman en route to a top score of 77 off 31, an innings which allowed the Caribbean side to chase down their target of 166, with only four deliveries remaining at Newlands.

Gayle belted five fours and eight whopping sixes, raising his 12th T20 International half-century off a mere 17 balls to break Kieron Pollard’s record of the fastest fifty by a West Indies player which had come off 20 deliveries.

Marlon Samuels chipped in with 41 off 37 balls and Dwayne Smith made 20 in an up tempo opening stand of 78 off a mere 37 balls with Gayle, to lay the foundation for the Windies victory bid.

However, as has become the norm, the Caribbean side needed to inject the now obligatory drama, into what otherwise should have been a straightforward run chase, especially after Gayle’s fireworks paved the way.

Cruising at 147 for two in the 16th over, the Windies suddenly suffered an attack of nerves and lost four quick wickets for 17 runs in the space of 14 deliveries, to carry the game down to the last over.

Earlier, Rilee Rossouw pounded an unbeaten 51 off 40 balls to steer South Africa to 165 for four off their 20 overs, after they opted to bat first.

Explosive "Chris Gayle" Lead W.I. to victory vs S.A. [Video]

Windies Lost to India In 2nd ODI... See Highlights [Video]

India registered a 48-run victory in the second One-Day International (ODI) against West Indies in Delhi. From being in a strong position in their run-chase of 264, West Indies crumbled and lost their last eight wickets for 45 runs.

Windies Lost to India In 2nd ODI... See Highlights [Video]

Jamaica Tallawahs beat Trini Red Steel in decisive CPL T20

INSPIRED by some amazing power hitting by all-rounder Andre Russell, the Jamaica Tallawahs stayed on course to defend their Limacol Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 title with a nail-biting four-wicket victory over the Red Steel in their knock-out encounter at Warner Park, St Kitts, this evening.

The Red Steel, sent in to bat, scored 155 for six.

The Tallawahs lost the dangerous Chris Gayle for one in the first over and as wickets fell around opener Chadwick Walton, who hit 39 off 41 deliveries, the Jamaicans seemed dead and dusted with six wickets down and the asking rate over 12 runs an over.


However, Russell started unleashing his trademark big hits inside the last seven overs, blasting an unbeaten 62 off 27 balls to lead his team within shades of the wire.

Rusty Theron, who played a sensible anchor role in turning over the strike to Russell, delivered the final rites by smashing Red Steel captain Dwayne Bravo over the fence to secure victory with two balls to spare.

Theron ended unbeaten on 18.

The defending champions remain in the firing line with another do or die semi-final showdown tomorrow at the same venue against the Guyana Amazon Warriors – a team they beat twice this season, as well as in last year’s final.

The winner will face the Barbados Tridents in Saturday’s final.

Jamaica Tallawahs beat Trini Red Steel in decisive CPL T20

#Watch Star Boy (Animated Film)

Star Boy Cricket wicket he knows how to stick it. Hmm, why fight when you can share? This video is a promotional excerpt from self published author Tilsa Wright three part book series, which are available on kindle and Amazon. Young budding animator and film director Stephen Williamson is based in Jamaica, and represents Big Bomb Films. We are pleased to feature rising stars like Carla Moore, Garth Williams, Jessica Francis, Jane Macgizmo, P.Nyne, and Exile ‘di’ Nrave ,just to name a few. Stay tuned to this series as we plan to give you more.

Buy Author’s Books Here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Tilsa%20Wright&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank

#Watch Star Boy (Animated Film)

West Indies pulls level with New Zealand in 20/20

André Fletcher’s second half-century in as many days, paired with Sheldon Cottrell’s incisive three-wicket burst, propelled West Indies to a 39-run victory over New Zealand and a share of the two-match Twenty20 series yesterday.


Sent in at Windsor Park, West Indies rallied to 165 for six off 20 overs, thanks mainly to Fletcher’s top score of 62 off 49 deliveries, and Lendl Simmons’s 36.

In reply, New Zealand crashed from a healthy position of 82 for two in the 12th over, to a disappointing 126 all out with five balls left, as Cottrell snatched three for 28 from 3.1 overs.

Kane Williamson top scored with 37 from 28 balls, while captain Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor both hit 21.

victory

The victory by the Darren Sammy-led side left Windies fans with something to celebrate following the frustration of the Test series loss last week, and the defeat in the first T20I on Saturday.

Dwayne Smith crunched two fours off the first over from seamer Tim Southee, but had his stumps rattled in the bowler’s third over for nine, with the score on ten.

It paved the way for an enterprising second wicket stand between Fletcher and Simmoms, which proved the bedrock of the innings.

Fletcher looked in great touch, counting three fours and three sixes, while Simmons was fluent, striking the ball cleanly in gathering three fours and two sixes.

Following a quiet start, Fletcher exploded with a flicked boundary off seamer Jimmy Neesham, and then a six-over mid-wicket in the bowler’s first over that cost 11 runs.

Simmons followed suit in the next over from left-arm pacer Trent Boult, slicing a six over backward point, before depositing medium pacer Corey Anderson over the ropes at backward square, and then driving him sweetly for another four in the bowler’s second over, which went for 11 runs.

Fletcher was voted Man-of-the-Match and Man-of-the-Series.

West Indies pulls level with New Zealand in 20/20