WEST INDIES middle-order batsman Sherfane Rutherford said trusting the process and backing his ability to score boundaries at the back end contributed to his match-winning knock against New Zealand at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA), Tarouba on June 12.
The powerful left-hander scored 68 not out off 39 balls as the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) men's Twenty/20 World Cup co-hosts West Indies got their third straight win of the tournament with a 13-run triumph over New Zealand. The Windies booked their place in the Super Eight stage, with the Kiwis being dealt a second straight loss.
In the 25-year-old Rutherford, the West Indies had a hero who rescued them from a position of peril. Rutherford came to the crease with the West Indies on 22 for four in the sixth over, and they were reeling at 30 for five in the subsequent over.
On a wicket he described as 'tacky and spongy,' Rutherford soaked up the pressure from the Kiwis in a calculated approach, before launching a vicious onslaught in the death overs to take the Windies to 149 for nine. He described it as his best-ever innings.
'I tried to bat time and singles. I always tell myself I perform well when I give myself time. It's about the process. Sometimes when you look too far ahead you can forget the process.
'I will put it as my best knock. This is the World Cup and this is my dream. I always wanted to play and perform in a World Cup. I think this one is going to stay close to my heart.' The West Indies were in all sorts of trouble at the halfway stage at 49 for five, but Rutherford received assurance from coach Daren Sammy at the ten-over mark. And with wickets falling regularly at the other end, he knew he had to shoulder the load.
Rutherford was unused by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during their successful 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, but he said the stint had prepared him for challenging moments.
'I was in the IPL for two months. I was preparing, even though I wasn't playing. I think keeping it simple and backing my skill was the key,' Rutherford said.
'I pattern my game for these types of situations. Even before the World Cup, I tried to put myself in a position in the nets where I have to bat properly then excel in the end. It's good to see my plans are actually coming to show.'
Despite Rutherford's resistance, the Kiwis were still in control and they looked set to bowl out the hosts when Alzarri Joseph was castled by Trent Boult in the 18th over to leave the Windies on 112 for nine.
Last man Gudakesh Motie faced just one ball in the Windies innings, but his role was integral in the grand scheme of things as his defensive prod brought an end to Boult's fiery spell of three for 16.
With the four Kiwi seamers exhausting their four-over quotas, Rutherford knew he could cash in on the last two overs - and he did so in fine style. Rutherford was playing chess against captain Kane Williamson and the New Zealand bowlers, and he was about to call checkmate. Rutherford scored 31 off his first 27 ball
