On this day in 2002: Scott Styris’ career-best 6/25 helps NZ beat WI
Scott Styris was one of New Zealand’s finest all-rounders during his 12-year international cricketing career. Apart from his impactful batting in the middle-order, Styris was also known to be lethal with his right-arm medium pace. The veteran cricketer is arguably one of the most underrated performers when it comes to his bowling performances.
In fact, it is to be noted that the cricketer-turned-pundit also boasts of having a six-wicket haul in One Day Internationals, which is a very rare feat for a bowler. Meanwhile, Styris had registered a ‘Perfect Six’ on this very day exactly 20 years ago.
When Scott Styris bamboozled West Indies with his incredible spell
The West Indies and New Zealand locked horns in the 4th ODI at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Windies had already taken a 2-0 lead with the first game having to be abandoned due to rain. Therefore, the Kiwis had to win this one in order to keep the series alive.
The visiting captain Stephen Fleming won a good toss and elected to bat. Courtesy of opener Nathan Astle’s 91 and a brilliant unbeaten 68 from Scott Styris, the Black Caps succeeded in posting 212/5 from 44.2 overs in a rain-truncated contest. Chasing a revised target, the Caribbeans got off to a brisk start as Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul added 49 runs for the opening stand.
Once Chanderpaul walked back, the Windies lost the plot completely in their chase and the man who wreaked havoc in their batting order was Styris. He first got rid of Brian Lara for a duck before coming back in the 15th over and accounting for skipper Carl Hooper. He then created panic in the Windies dressing room by bowling Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Even though quick wickets jolted the Caribbean chase, wicketkeeper-batter Ridley Jacobs stood tall and counter-attacked from the other end. Nonetheless, Styris looked in great rhythm and even went on to dismiss a well-set Gayle for a run-a-ball 60. He added two more scalps to his name by dismissing Wavell and Ryan Hinds.
In the end Jacobs (60*) was the lone warrior and failed to take his side over the line as New Zealand registered a nine-run win by DLS method to stage a comeback in the ODI series. Styris was adjudged the Player of the Match for his excellent all-round performance, which turned out to be a match-winning one.
