He West Indies They held their nerve to claim a hard-fought seven-run victory over New Zealand on West Indies’ first T20I tour of New Zealand 2025 at Eden Park, Auckland. After being asked to bat first, the visitors posted a competitive total before the hosts came agonizingly close but fell short of 7 runs.
Shai Hope shines in respectable West Indies total
The West Indies posted a respectable total of 164/6 in their 20 overs, thanks to a half-century composed from hope shai and useful contributions from the middle order. despite losing Brandon Rey (3) Early on, the West Indies found stability thanks to Hope’s calm and calculated approach. The keeper-batsman crafted a fluent 53 off 39 balls, laced with four fours and three sixes, anchoring the innings till the middle. Alick Athanaze provided an explosive start with a quick 16 for 9, while Roston chase (28 off 27) and captain Rovman Powell (33 off 23) added crucial runs to push the total to over 160.
New Zealand’s bowlers had mixed luck that night. Jacob Duffy He stood out with excellent figures of 2 of 19, keeping the score under control during the powerplay. Young Zakary Foulkes also impressed, taking 2 for 35, while James Neesham and Kyle Jamieson interspersed with a wicket each. However, the spinners’ lack of control allowed West Indies to finish strongly, with Powell and Shepherd adding valuable runs in the final overs.
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Mitchell Santner’s latest fireworks not enough for New Zealand
Chasing 165, New Zealand never found rhythm with the bat as wickets fell at regular intervals. Opener Tim Robinson he played positively for his 27 of 21, and Rachin Ravindra (21 off 19) tried to rebuild the innings but the hosts continued to lose momentum in the middle overs. the experienced Mitchell Santnerbatting at number 8, he launched an impressive counter-attack with a stunning 55 off 28 deliveries, with eight fours and two sixes, almost delivering an improbable victory for New Zealand.
However, the West Indies bowlers maintained their composure in the death overs to seal the victory. Jayden Seales He led the attack with 3 of 32, using pace and rebounding effectively. Chase complemented this brilliantly with 3 for 26 using his variations to drown out the intermissions. Mateo Forde, Romario Pastor, and Akeal Hosein He contributed crucial wickets, ensuring New Zealand fell short at 157/9 despite Santner’s late heroics.
What almost robbed Santner and New Zealand 👏#cricket #NZvWI #1erT20I #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/MMOrW4LmTi
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) November 5, 2025
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