New Zealand take on West Indies in 1st T20I on Wednesday in Auckland
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first
West Indies come into this fixture on the back of 3-0 series sweep in Bangladesh
The New Zealand national cricket team hosted the West Indies national cricket team in the 1st T20I of the 2025 series on November 5 at Auckland’s Eden Park.
New Zealand’s skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bowl, hoping to gain an early advantage. The hosts had several frontline players missing, including Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, while West Indies came in buoyed by a recent series sweep in Bangladesh.
Asked to bat first, WI put up a fighting total of 164 runs on the scoreboard on the back of Shai Hope's 53-run knock supported by late attack from Roston Chase and Rovman Powell.
West Indies set a decent target, backed by their bowling and fielding department that regularly broke through the New Zealand batting lineup. The Kiwis seemed on track at 70/2 early, but a brutal collapse saw them tumble to 107/9, with key wickets falling through the middle overs to bowlers such as Roston Chase. New Zealand scrambled late through Santner’s heroic efforts, including a late flurry of boundaries, but ultimately couldn’t make up the deficit.
It was heartbreak for New Zealand as Santner launched a near-miracle finish, smashing one over for 23 in a single over, nearly engineering a turnaround. However, a wide-not-given in the final over and the fact that he could not get full support from the tail cost them dearly. West Indies held their nerve and sealed their first T20I win in New Zealand in regulation time, as they prevented what might otherwise have been a memorable Kiwis’ victory.
New Zealand Vs West Indies, 1st T20I: Toss Update
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to field first.
New Zealand Vs West Indies, 1st T20I: Playing XIs
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy
West Indies: Shai Hope(w/c), Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Roston Chase, Ackeem Auguste, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales
New Zealand Vs West Indies, 1st T20I: Ball By Ball Commentary
New Zealand Vs West Indies, 1st T20I: Squads!
West Indies Squad: Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer, Amir Jangoo, Matthew Forde, Ackeem Auguste
New Zealand Squad: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Hay
