World Cup 2019: The best batting performances of the tournament

#2 Carlos Brathwaite - 103 vs New Zealand

Carlos Brathwaite almost took West Indies across the line

West Indies locked horns with New Zealand at Manchester in pursuit of their second win in the tournament. Opting to ball first, West Indies were put in for a big chase of 292, courtesy a brilliant knock from Kane Williamson.

West Indies got off to the worst of starts, as they lost two wickets in the powerplay for 20 runs. After a 122-run partnership between Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer, there was a dismal collapse, as the Caribbeans lost 5 wickets for just 22 runs. They still required 128 runs for victory, and with Carlos Brathwaite being the last recognised batsman, no one fancied West Indies' chances.

It was then that Brathwaite got the building blocks of the chase together, targeting the all-rounders Mitchell Santner, Colin de Grandhomme and Jimmy Neesham. After releasing the pressure of the run rate, he calmly played out the overs of Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. Though Windies lost two more wickets, it did not affect his tempo in any way.

Brathwaite unleashed himself against Matt Henry, with the equation being 32 off 18. He hit three sixes and a four in that over, scoring 25 runs in total. The all-rounder brought up his hundred in the penultimate over. Just when it seemed to be Windies' game, Brathwaite, in an attempt to clear the boundary for the umpteenth time, found Boult on the boundary line.

Though he could not steer his team to victory, this was arguably the best ton of the tournament.