Another bilateral series is set to get underway as hosts New Zealand take on visitors West Indies in full fledged all format series starting on 5th November 2025. We kick things off with the shortest format of the game as New Zealand are set to host West Indies in a 5-match T20I series. The first of those matches takes place on Wednesday at Eden Park in Auckland. The T20I series is important as both teams are set to fine tune their preparations before the T20 World Cup in February-March.
Hosts New Zealand have had a rough ride in T20I series lately playing at home. They first hosted Australia and lost the 3-match series 2-0 with one game called off due to rain while they also hosted England in a 3-match series where 2 matches were called off due to rain and England won the only completed match to win series 1-0. So, New Zealand will aim to get back to winning ways to restore confidence in the side. New Zealand will be led by Mitchell Santner.
West Indies are not faring any better but they are coming off a morale boosting 3-0 whitewash against Bangladesh in Chattogram, a result which will give them a lot of confidence going forward. Led by Shai Hope, West Indies are a decent side and can give New Zealand a run for their money and will be confident that they did well in challenging conditions away from home. The stage is set and we are in for an interesting start to the series.
Overview.
The stage is set for the first of five T20Is to take place as New Zealand takes on West Indies at Eden Park, Auckland on 5th November, 2025. It’s an important series for both teams to be in rhythm for the T20 World Cup next year albeit the conditions will be different in the sub-continent than over here. Mitchell Santner will lead the Blackcaps and the squad has a good mixture of youth and experience.
New Zealand who are ranked 4th in the world in T20Is have hit a bit of a roadblock as they lost two back-to-back home series against Australia and then to England where weather too played a part in washing out games. The hosts will be desperate to get on the park and get back to winning ways in this series. The squad contains a lot of similarities from previous squads with the likes of Kyle Jamieson and Ish Sodhi also included in the set-up.
The likes of Michael Bracewell, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Mark Chapman are key players alongside Mark Chapman in the squad. The mainstays of the batting are Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra. Tim Seifert is set to don the gloves with James Neesham also in the mix. Tim Robinson has been in good form and may perform well for his side. Nathan Smith returns to T20 fold as well after his injury. Playing at home, they will be fancying their chances of doing well in this series.
West Indies, on the other hand, are ranked 6th in the world and have had a mixed bag run in T20Is. They have been up and down but under the inspired leadership of captain Shai Hope, the West Indies blanked Bangladesh in Bangladesh 3-0 and that is a huge confidence booster for them as they did well in the sub-continent and similar conditions will be available for the World Cup. Their form shows that on their day they can trouble New Zealand.
Apart from Shai Hope has his deputy Roston Chase for company and the team has good quality players that may trouble the Kiwis going forward. Young Alick Athanaze and Ackeem Auguste are there and needs to step upto the plate more. Brandon King has been good, but not consistent enough. West Indies have powerhitters like Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd. Jason Holder has become a very dependable player now as he does good job in the death and bats sensibly as well.
Akeal Hosein will be the key player in the bowling line-up because he can keep things tight and not leak runs. Khary Pierre is also an option who may not be used given the conditions on offer. Jayden Seales will spearhead the pace bowling line-up and then we have Shamar Springer also waiting in the wings. So, the stage is set and we hope we get a good game of cricket without any interruptions from the rain. The match will start at 11:45 AM IST on Wednesday.
Head-To-Head
New Zealand and West Indies have faced against each other on a total of 20 matches. Out of which, New Zealand have won 11 times while the West Indies have won 7 times. 2 games have ended in a No Result. In the last 10 matches, it is 7-3 in New Zealand’s favour. But the last meeting was way back on 13th June 2024 during the T20 World Cup where West Indies beat New Zealand and knocked them out of the competition. After this match, they have never met in T20Is. Let’s see who comes out on top this time.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at Eden Park offers a complete batting track for the batters. It’s flat with good bounce and carry, favouring aggressive stroke makers, especially in the first innings. Pacers are likely to get good assistance from the surface in the initial overs. But as the game progresses, the surface tends to flatten out, and batters will have enough time to play their desired shots. Spinners may come into play later in the match. The average first innings score is 171 which gets reduced to 154 in the second innings at Eden Park.
The weather at Auckland is expected to remain cold and cloudy throughout the entire match, with 16% chances of precipitation. The temperature is likely to be around 11-16 degrees Celsius. The wind speed may assist bowlers in swinging the new ball.
Predicted/Probable Playing XI for both sides
Here, we will try and predict the playing XIs of both sides.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zak Foulkes, Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy.
West Indies: Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Shai Hope (c & wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash.
Rachin Ravindra: Rachin Ravindra struck form in the final ODI against England as he looked in good order and rhythm. He will now want to carry that forward in the T20Is against the West Indies. Batting at the top of the order, Ravindra will be hoping to give the team quick starts and lay the foundation for a good score. He certainly has the expertise to succeed.
Mitchell Santner: The New Zealand captain is a bank for his side as he controls proceedings with the ball and then chips in with handy runs with bat in hand. Santner will hope to continue doing his good work for the team and help them do well in this series as New Zealand will be desperate for a win in this series. Santner keeps things very miserly and tight while bowling and picks up wickets as well.
Shai Hope: When it comes to West Indies, and we think about Mr, Dependable, only one name props up in our minds and that is Shai Hope the West Indies captain. T20 may not be his stronger suit but he adapts his game and can guide the innings together. He is a superbly talented individual and is hungry for success. Batting in the middle order, Hope will be expected to guide the innings and bat according to the situation that demands it. He will want to do well against New Zealand.
Akeal Hosein: Akeal Hosein is the lead spinner and bowler for the West Indies. He bowls in the powerplay and often sets the tone by striking early and keeping things tight. Hosein will want to play an important role by tying down the runs and then take wickets as that will go a long way in West Indies limiting New Zealand. He is an integral member of the side and always returns with miserly numbers.
Predicted Outcome of the Match.
It’s tough to predict a winner at the start of the series. Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses and will want to improve their performances and fine tune their skills. West Indies are coming off a series win while New Zealand lost a rain affected series. It’s a tight one with too close to call. But because New Zealand are playing at home while West Indies have just arrived from Bangladesh, we will give a slight edge to New Zealand in this clash. But West Indies might come roaring back and take the series lead.
Let’s see how the series opener pans out as the first two matches of the series are back-to-back at the same venue. Let’s see who draws first blood in this series.
Also Read: NZ VS WI: 3 Best Knocks Of Kane Williamson In T20Is.