Kristian Clarke came up with an all-round performance to help New Zealand beat the West Indies by two wickets in a low-scoring affair and enter the semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup, in Benoni, South Africa, on Wednesday.
Clarke (4/25) first shone with the ball to restrict the West Indies to 238 and then scored an unbeaten 46 off 42 balls to take New Zealand home in the company of Joey Field, who was not out on 38.
Batting first, the West Indies were bowled out in 47.5 overs with Kirk McKenzie top-scoring with a 104-ball 99.
Besides McKenzie, Kevlon Anderson (33) and Antonio Morris (31) also made useful contributions with the bat.
Right-arm pacer Clarke picked up four wickets for New Zealand, while left-arm spinner Jesse Tashkoff (2/35) and Field (2/52) shared four wickets between them.
Chasing the modest total, New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals and found themselves in a spot of bother at 153 for 8 in 34.5 overs.
But Clarke and Field had other plans as they joined hands and shared an unbeaten stand of 86 runs for the ninth wicket to take New Zealand home, the Kiwis finishing with 239 for 8 in 49.4 overs.
