Skipper Kane Williamson continued his impressive run with a second successive century to guide New Zealand to a narrow five-run win over West Indies in a World Cup thriller, despite a fighting maiden ODI hundred by Carlos Brathwaite.
Sent into bat, Williamson rescued New Zealand with a career-best 148, steering his side to a competitive 291 for eight after being reduced to two for seven by West Indies in the first over.
Chasing the total, Chris Gayle (87) and Shimron Hetmyer (54) cracked fifties but the West Indies were looking down the barrel at 164 for seven in the 27th over. Brathwaite then blasted nine fours and five sixes on way to a 82-ball 101 to take his side close to victory at Old Trafford.
Brathwaite smashed three sixes and a four in the 48th over to bring the equation down to eight from 12 balls.
He took two runs to complete his hundred but then holed out to Trent Boult at long-on in the last ball of the 49th over bowled by Jimmy Neesham to sink to his knees as West Indies fell short by five runs.
The defeat left West Indies on the brink of elimination, while New Zealand's fifth victory saw them return to the top of the table with 11 points from six games.
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"A bit too close for comfort. I thought the guys did an outstanding job in the roles they were given. Some of the striking from the West Indians is unrivalled so it really does put you under pressure," Williamson said after the match.
West Indies Jason Holder said: "Tough game at the very end but I'm proud of the guys, especially Carlos. You can probably pinpoint one or two areas where we fell down. We lost wickets at crucial stages.
"We've still got a lot to play for, we've got our pride to play for. We can still finish the tournament on a high."
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