The West Indies put up a disciplined bowling display to protect a low score and win over New Zealand by seven runs on Wednesday, in the first match of the five T20I series held at Eden Park.
The visiting team, after being invited to bat on a surface that challenged the shot selection of both teams, managed to score 164/6 with captain Shai Hope being the highest scorer with a calm 53 off 39 balls.
Mitchell Santner’s late heroics fall short as West Indies hold nerve
New Zealand looked comfortable at 70/2 in the 10th over, but a dramatic collapse saw them lose seven wickets for just 37 runs, slipping to 107/9 by the 17th. Captain Mitch Santner then gave home fans a glimmer of hope with a stunning counterattack, scoring 55 off 28 balls, including nine boundaries and two sixes.
Santner smashed four fours and a six off Matthew Forde in the 18th over and followed up with three consecutive fours against Jason Holder in the 19th, bringing the equation down to 20 needed off the final over. He cleared the ropes once more against Romario Shepherd but couldn’t finish the chase, as New Zealand fell just short at 157/9.
“I think the way the West Indies bowled in the middle there, they really put pressure on us,” Santner admitted post-match. “We were reasonably happy with 164 at the turn, but it was just one of those nights.”
After a tour of Bangladesh, the West Indies were able to quickly get used to the swing-friendly conditions of New Zealand. Normally Eden Park provides pace and bounce but the pitch that had been used for a T20 game against England which was rained out turned out to be slow and difficult.
Brandon King (3) and Alick Athanaze (16), the openers, soon left and the visitors were at 32/2 after the powerplay. Hope played steadily to the team and got his ninth T20 fifty by hitting a six off Zak Foulkes before being bowled by the next delivery that was low.
Roston Chase (28) and Rovman Powell (33 off 23 balls) were the ones that pushed the innings, the two added 49 runs for the fifth wicket and took West Indies to a total that was competitive by scoring 53 runs in the last five overs.
Chase, Seales shine as bowlers deliver match-winning spell
New Zealand had a great start and managed to score 48 runs for the loss of one wicket within the first six overs, but they were not able to keep the scoring rate up. The opener Devon Conway (13) fell victim to Forde, and the middle-order batter, Tim Robinson (27), got out immediately after the powerplay ended.
Then, the scenario changed completely as the batting side kept losing wickets at short intervals. Off-spinner Roston Chase was the star bowler in the New Zealand innings as he made a significant contribution by taking 3/26 while pace bowler Jayden Seales supported him with 3/32 to ruin New Zealand's chances of victory.
Although there came a time when the West Indies were on the defensive, they eventually emerged victorious in the battle of attrition and thus, took a 1-0 lead in the series. The two teams will fight it out once more at the same ground on Thursday in the second T20I.
(By PTI Inputs)
