Carlos Brathwaite admitted his maiden international hundred was a âbittersweetâ feeling after falling agonisingly short of leading the West Indies to an against-all-odds World Cup victory.
The Windies slumped to 164 for seven against New Zealand in pursuit of a target of 292 at Old Trafford, but that merely set the stage for Brathwaite, who bludgeoned nine fours and five sixes in a staggering 80-ball hundred.
However, with six needed for victory, Brathwaite swung mightily again, only to hole out to long-on, where Trent Boult held on to the catch and avoided stepping over the boundary as the Kiwis escaped with a five-run win.
Following his supreme 101, Brathwaite said: âEveryone believed that we could get over the line.
âItâs obviously bittersweet. I know itâs probably cliche to say the hundred doesnât matter if you donât win.
âBut for me personally, for my confidence, I guess as a result of all the hard work Iâve been putting in, itâs finally good that itâs come to fruition.
âIâll continue to work hard, obviously devastated not to get over the line, but also I give thanks for the performance and even getting the team into a position that we got into before I got out.
âItâs heartbreaking to get so close and not get over the line, but there were some positives and I think that the fight that the lower order showed was commendable.
âI thought I had enough bat on (the delivery that got him out). I was just willing it to go up and up and up.
âUnfortunately it didnât, they probably had one of the better fielders in the world down there. It is what it is. One or two yards more weâd have been victorious.â
The Windies suffered a fourth consecutive defeat and, in all likelihood, their hopes of reaching the knockout stages are all but over as the Kiwis moved to the top of the standings.
Kane Williamsonâs sublime 148 from 154 balls had taken them to 291 for eight on a challenging surface, with a 160-run partnership alongside Ross Taylor (69 off 95) forming the bedrock of their innings.
Some mighty blows from Chris Gayle, in an 84-ball 87, and Shimron Hetmyer, who hit 54 from 45 deliveries, kept the Windies up with the run-rate, but Boultâs four for 30 undermined their pursuit.
The Blackcaps did not count on Brathwaiteâs tour de force display, but Boult had the final say.
He said of his catch: âIt was a pressure situation, I guess. Initially I thought it was going to be quite a way inside the rope, but almost driven for six in the end, but nice to snaffle it.
âAnd what a game. Simple as that, really.â
Scraping past the Windies in Manchester follows narrow wins over Bangladesh and South Africa, with Boult sure those on the other side of the world are enjoying following their fortunes.
He added: âItâs a bit special. Itâs been a bit of an emotional roller coaster sitting there with the pads at times and then being under the pump there with the ball.
âItâs what itâs all about. Itâs awesome to be a part of it. And Iâm sure there will be a lot of proud Kiwis back home, diving into poached eggs, watching a result like that.â