Shai Hope’s masterful unbeaten ton powers West Indies to 247/9 in 34 overs.Â
Put into bat first under challenging overcast conditions, John Campbell and Ackeem Auguste came out to bat for West Indies while Matt Henry had ball in hand for New Zealand. Henry started with a maiden. Kyle Jamieson took the ball from the other end and bowled a maiden as well. Henry continued as Auguste got a streaky boundary as the batter slashed at the ball to get an inside edge to the fine leg fence. Jamieson bowled another tight over. Henry continued as Auguste stepped out and went over the bowler’s head for a boundary.
Jamieson provided the breakthrough for New Zealand as he removed Campbell for 4 off 17 balls. Jamieson bowled it on a full length but shaping away from the batter. Campbell looked to swing it across the line and got a big leading edge to deep third man as Tickner stationed there stumbled a tad and took the catch easily. Keacy Carty came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Henry bowled a quiet over as West Indies were 20/1 after the end of the first powerplay of 7 overs under revised playing conditions.
Jamieson continued after the powerplay and bowled another decent over. Blair Tickner came into the attack for the first time in the innings. Auguste charged at the bowler and hit the ball over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Carty joined the party as he climbed onto the fuller ball outside off-stump to send it over covers for a boundary. Jamieson continued and gifted 5 wides as a bonus to the batting side. But he soon removed Carty for 7 off 12 balls with a boundary to his name.
Jamieson bowled the full ball shaping away outside off-stump. Carty without any footwork threw the bat at it and found the outside edge that went straight to the point fielder. Captain Shai Hope came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace as West Indies were 40/2 in 10 overs. Tickner continued as Hope hit the bowler over midwicket in the gap and away to the vacant deep midwicket fence. Hope then crunched Tickner by smashing him through extra covers as he completed 6000 runs in ODI cricket.
Nathan Smith came into the attack next and overstepped. The free hit yielded a maximum as Hope cleared his front leg and launched the ball downtown over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Smith bounced back though as he removed Auguste for 22 off 31 balls with 3 fours to his name. Nathan bowled a back of a length delivery around the off-stump skidding with some extra bounce. Auguste cleared his front leg away and gave himself room to attempt a pull shot. He failed to execute the shot due to extra bounce and got a top edge towards midwicket where Jamieson backtracked to his left and pouched it safely. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next.
Captain Mitchell Santner came into the attack next. Hope took him on and cleared his front leg to pump the ball over deep midwicket for the maximum. Smith continued as Rutherford played the pick up shot and launched it over square leg into the second tier for the maximum. Rutherford got into the act again as he walked down the wicket and picked it up to deposit it over deep square leg for the maximum. Santner continued and got rid of Rutherford for 13 off 9 balls with 2 sixes to his name.
Santner bowled a bit quicker and shorter around the middle stump with the ball holding on the surface and came a bit later than the batter would have expected it to be. He cleared his front leg away and tried to heave it away and ended up mistiming it off the upper half of the bat towards deep midwicket. Conway ran across to his left from that position and dived forward to pouch it with both hands before tumbling down onto the ground. Roston Chase came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Smith continued and got rid of Chase for 2 off 5 balls. Smith from wide of the crease bowled it on a length and kept the line around the off-stump. He got the ball to bring back in from over the wicket. Chase got caught in the crease as he failed to judge the length of the ball. He tried to adjust on his back foot but got late as the ball nipped back in and beat the inside edge of the bat before rattling the off-stump. Justin Greaves came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Santner continued and thought he had gotten rid of Greaves. But the batter reviewed and got the decision overturned in his favour. West Indies were 91/5 in 17 overs when we all paused for the Drinks Break. Smith continued after the break and bowled a miserly over. Santner bowled a decent over as well. Tickner came back into the attack as the 100 came up for West Indies in 19.3 overs. Greaves managed to get a triple as West Indies reached 105/5 in 20 overs.
Santner continued and bowled a decent over. Tickner returned to the attack again as Greaves pulled a shot to deep square leg where Conway did well to get his hands to it and pull it back but could not complete the catch. Hope then took on Tickner by throwing his hands at it and the ball got the outside edge that flew over third man for the maximum. Greaves got into the act as well as he upper cut the bowler over third man for the maximum. Santner continued and bowled a decent over.
Smith came back into the attack as Hope reached his fifty in 42 balls as he held the innings together. Smith then broke the budding stand as he removed Greaves for 22 off 27 balls with a maximum to his name. Smith bowled a quick short ball at the stumps. Greaves was late on the pull and skied it straight up in the air. Bracewell came in from covers and took a safe catch. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next.
Santner continued as Hope gave himself room to drive it through the covers for a boundary. West Indies were now 136/6 in 25 overs. Smith continued and gifted 5 wides as a bonus to the batting side. Then Hope clobbered him with a pull shot in front of midwicket for a boundary. The 150 came up for West Indies in 26 overs. Henry came back into the attack as Shepherd nailed the shot over wide long-on for the maximum. He was on a roll as he took on Henry again by nailing the pull shot over midwicket for the maximum. Hope got into the act as well as he nailed the lofted straight drive past mid-on for a boundary.
Tickner continued as Shepherd bludgeoned him by swivelling and picked it up to smash it over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Tickner bounced back and got rid of Shepherd for 22 off 14 balls with 3 sixes to his name. Tickner bowled short of a length and outside off-stump. Shepherd remained deep in his crease and tried to use the pace of the bowler. But the ball got extra bounce and ended up getting a top edge that flew to deep third man. Henry kept his eyes locked at the ball and got across to his left to slide and pouched it around his knee. Matthew Forde came out to bat next.
Henry continued as Hope changed his stance and played the reverse scoop over the keeper for a boundary. Hope was not done yet as he threw his hands at it to drive and he got enough power to beat sweeper cover for a boundary. Hope managed to get another streaky boundary as he pulled and got a top edge that flew over short fine leg for a boundary. Tickner continued as Forde survived a caught behind appeal as New Zealand reviewed and burnt it. Hope hit Tickner for a boundary by backing away and hitting it through covers and mid-off for a boundary and then he crunched by punching it through covers for a boundary as the 200 came up for West Indies in 30 overs. West Indies were 201/7 in 30 overs.
Jamieson came back into the attack as Forde took the attack to him by hitting him for a hat-trick of boundaries first through deep fine leg and then through deep third man. The third boundary was hit through fine leg for a boundary. He followed that up with a maximum inside out over extra cover for the maximum. Smith returned and got rid of Forde for 21 off 11 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name.
Smith bowled a fuller length slower ball wide outside the off-stump. Forde cleared his front leg away and tried to go inside out and looked to go over extra cover but played it away from his body. He ended up chipping it flat straight to the extra cover fielder who was stationed on the edge of the ring. Young didn’t have to move an inch there who pouched it around his knee. Shamar Springer came out to bat next and got off the mark soon.
Henry came back into the attack. Springer took him on by standing tall and thrashed it over mid-off for a boundary. Hope came on strike and hit a boundary off Henry by backing away and got his bat at it and beat the diving cover fielder for a boundary. Hope crunched hard the next ball through cover point for a boundary as he moved to 98. Jamieson came to bowl his final over and removed Springer for 6 off 9 balls with one four to his name.
Jamieson bowled a back of a length delivery outside the off-stump that generated extra bounce and Springer backed away and opened his stance further and tried to carve it away over covers. He ended up playing it off the cue end of the bat to extra cover where Young moved forward a bit to take the catch. Jayden Seales came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway to give Hope the strike.
Hope then got to his century by pumping it down the ground for the maximum as he got to his 19th ODI ton and completed in 66 balls. Hope then hit another boundary as he threw his hands at it to slice it over short third man for a boundary. So, the West Indies ended with 247/9 in 34 overs with Hope remaining unbeaten on 109 off 69 balls with 13 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Seales was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 18 extras given by the fielding side.
New Zealand bowled decently well. Nathan Smith was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand with figures of 4/42 in 7 overs. Kyle Jamieson bowled well at the top with figures of 3/44 in 7 overs. Mitchell Santner finished with 1/35 in 7 overs. Blair Tickner finished with 1/61 in 6 overs. Matt Henry finished with 0/62 in 7 overs and had a rare off-day. This meant that New Zealand needed 248 runs to win the contest off 34 overs to wrap up the series 2-0 with a game to spare.
All-round batting display led by Devon Conway helps New Zealand get over the line and another series win.Â
Chasing 248 in 34 overs, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra came out to bat for New Zealand while Matthew Forde had ball in hand for West Indies. Forde started off with a maiden. Jayden Seales had ball in hand from the other end. Seales too bowled a decent over. Forde continued as Conway broke the shackles by crunching it through the gap between backward point and extra cover for a boundary. Seales continued as Ravindra thrashed it away past backward point fielder for a boundary. Forde bowled another good probing over.
Conway broke the shackles as he blazed Seales cuts it away past backward point and extra cover for a boundary. Ravindra then pumped Seales over deep midwicket for the maximum. Forde continued and bowled another miserly over as New Zealand were 25/0 after 7 overs of powerplay under revised playing conditions. Romario Shepherd came into the attack post the powerplay. Conway welcomed him with a boundary and smashed it over square leg for a boundary.
Forde continued as Conway carved it away through extra cover for a boundary. Ravindra then clubbed it over square leg for the maximum. Shepherd continued and bowled a decent over as New Zealand were 44/0 in 10 overs. Justin Greaves came into the attack next and was welcomed with a maximum over deep square leg. Shepherd continued as Conway stepped out and lofted the ball over covers for a boundary. Ravindra swung hard and hit down the ground for a boundary over mid-on for a boundary.
Roston Chase came into the attack next. Conway cut it away and pierced the gap between the point region for a boundary. Shamar Springer came into the attack next. Ravindra took him on by pulling him first over square leg for the maximum and pulled it away over square leg for the maximum as New Zealand switched gears. Chase continued as Ravindra leant into the shot and lofted over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Ravindra then sat down and slogged it over midwicket for the maximum and reached his fifty in 42 balls, his 6th ODI fifty.
Ravindra survived a close run out at the bowler’s end as he got his bat down in time. The 100 came up for New Zealand in 15.3 overs. Ravindra hit Greaves for a boundary by chipping it over midwicket. Greaves then provided the breakthrough for Ravindra for 56 off 46 balls with 4 fours and 5 sixes to his name. The bowler bowled a full ball outside the off-stump, Ravindra threw his hands at it without any foot movement and the edge carried straight to the point fielder where Chase leapt and gathered it. Will Young came out to bat next and got off the mark soon.
Springer continued as Conway reached his fifty in 54 balls and was his 5th ODI fifty. Greaves continued as Conway hit him for consecutive boundaries over mid-off and the other one between covers and mid-off. Seales continued as Conway clobbered him by pulling hard to midwicket for a boundary. New Zealand raced to 129/1 in 20 overs. Chase continued and got rid of Young for 11 off 14 balls.
Chase tossed it up full and around the middle stump getting it to drift into the batter. Young sat down and tried to take on the bowler. But he got close to the pitch of the ball and ended up mistiming it towards deep square leg. Rutherford stationed in the deep got across to his left to dive forward and take the catch above the ground. Mark Chapman came out to bat next. Seales then removed Chapman for a silver duck.
Seales bowled a short of a length and around the middle stump angling into the body of the batter. Chapman swivelled and tried to hook it but the ball got big on him and he got cramped. He ended up getting a top edge to deep fine leg. Greaves ran forward to dive and pouch it with both hands. Tom Latham came out to bat next. Conway survived an easy stumping chance as his foot was well behind the line. Conway punished Chase by pulling it away to deep square leg fence.
Greaves returned as Conway lifted his front leg and swiped it away to deep fine leg for a boundary. Runs were flowing for the Kiwis now. Chase continued as Conway looked to sweep and got a glove away towards the deep fine leg fence for a boundary. New Zealand were 161/3 in 25 overs. Springer came back into the attack as Conway smoked the ball over midwicket for a boundary. But the bowler hit back by getting rid of Conway for 90 off 84 balls with 13 fours and a maximum to his name.
Springer bowled short of a length wide outside off-stump. Conway got the width to free his arms and he pressed back to cut it. He made good connection but failed to either play fully in the air or along the ground. The ball went towards backward point where Chase timed his jump to perfection to pluck the ball out of thin air. Michael Bracewell came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Latham got a lucky boundary away as he looked to pull with a swivel but got a top edge that went over the keeper for a boundary.
Chase continued and bowled a tight over. Seales returned as Bracewell welcomed him back by nailing the pull shot over the short square boundary. Latham climbed onto Seales first depositing hi