All’s well that ends well. New Zealand pouched a narrow 1-wicket win against hosts West Indies to clinch the series 3-1 in Barbados, with one match to spare. Chasing only 188, WI bowlers almost managed to defend the puny total, but Mitchell Santner‘s 34 not out scarped them through.
New Zealand bounce back from Bangladesh setback
That is yet another series win for the 2nd best ranked team in the world (111) , who have narrowed down the gap between first-placed Indians to just five points now (116); prior to the start of the series it was eight point. That just goes on to show, how consistent Santner’s team has been in the last couple of years.
Starting from Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand — the Kiwis won 2-1, followed by Pakistan tri-series, which they won as well. Post that they entered the final of the Champions Trophy, and only lost to India. Then they beat Pakistan 3-0, followed by England 3-0 as well. West Indies were beaten 3-0 too, before they beat India in India 2-1.
The only exception being their last series against Bangladesh — that they lost 1-2. But the side is back on track again, with bowlers picking wickets in clusters, and batters delivering too. So far, the stand out performer for them has been left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox who has picked up 11 wickets in 4 matches, and Michael Bracewell, who has 7 wickets in as many encounters, showing their vast reserves of spin pool.
West Indies vs New Zealand 4th ODI, as it happened
After being asked to bat first, West Indies batters never looked comfortable at the wicket. At one stage they were reduced to 81/6 in 21 overs. Thanks to Amir Jangoo’s 51 and Gudakesh Motie’s 41, that the hosts managed to reach 188. Santner was excellent again with the ball, returning with figures of 2/36 in 10 overs.
Come the chase, it wasn’t an easy outing for the Black Caps as well. They also were 77/4 at one stage, reminding one and all, that it was a tough wicket to bat on. But Mark Chapman played brilliantly for his 80. Michael Bracewell and Santner too strung a partnership, but once the stand was broken, there was a mini-collapse in the innings. But Santner finished the game with Lennox, nonetheless, who stayed unbeaten on 0 after playing 10 balls.
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