A beautiful display of sportsmanship was witnessed during New Zealand U19 vs West Indies U19, quarter-final match in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020. The act of two Kiwi players carrying injured Caribbean batsman Kirk McKenzie on their shoulders warmed the hearts of cricket lovers around the world. Even the ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar was also delighted by seeing the lovely gesture of the Blackcaps player and heaped praises on him through a post on Twitter. The legendary batsman, himself, played the game in a great spirit and hence, the generous act of the budding cricketers touched his heart. Sachin Tendulkar to Flag Off Kolkata Full Marathon on February 2.

“The Spirit of Cricket is a value that has always been very important to me personally. This lovely gesture by the U19 New Zealand team just warmed my heart,” wrote the highest run-scorer in international cricket while retweeting the video of the player’s kind act. The incident occurred during the end of the first innings when McKenzie was struggling to walk back to the pavilion after scoring a well-fought 99. Seeing his injury, two Kiwi players came to him and carried the batsman on their shoulders in order and got him out of the field.

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Earlier in the match, Kimani Melius won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision didn’t prove to be spot-on as most of the Caribbean batsmen struggled against the Kiwi bowlers. However,  McKenzie came to his side’s rescue and scored runs at a rapid pace. Despite sustaining cramps during the match, the youngster scored a well-fought 99 and guided his side to 238 runs in the first innings. However, his effort went in vain as New Zealand chased the target with two wickets in hand. At one point, they were also struggling for 153/8. However, an unexpected partnership between the number-nine Joey Field and number-10 Kristian Clarke guided the Blackcaps to victory and a berth in semi-final too.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2020 08:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).