Kiwis drub West Indies

The New Zealand batting was backed up by tight bowling, led by Nathan McCullum who celebrated his 50th Twenty20 international with figures of four for 24. AP Photo

An unbeaten 85-run stand between Brendon McCullum and Luke Ronchi laid the foundation for New Zealand’s 81-run win over the West Indies in their opening Twenty20 International on Saturday.

The New Zealand batting was backed up by tight bowling, led by Nathan McCullum who celebrated his 50th Twenty20 international with figures of four for 24.

New Zealand  made 189-5 and Windies were restricted to 108 for eight.

Brief scores: New Zealand: 189/5 in 20 overs (Brendon McCullum 60, Luke Ronchi 48; Tino Best 3-40, Nikita Miller 2-26) bt West Indies: 108/8 in 20 overs (Nathan McCullum 4-24, Liam Neesham 3-16).