Sherfane Rutherford rescued the West Indies from a seemingly hopeless position to a competitive 149 for nine batting first against New Zealand in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Wednesday.

Rutherford's unbeaten 68 off 39 balls (two fours, six sixes) lifted the home side from the depths of 30 for five in the seventh over after they were put in by Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson.

Earlier, Trent Boult led New Zealand's much-improved effort by dispatching Johnson Charles in the first over of the match, finishing with the excellent figures of three for 16.

After victories over Papua New Guinea and Uganda at the Guyana National Stadium, West Indies seemed unprepared for the challenge, until Rutherford intervened to transform what was shaping up as an abject capitulation.