New Zealand Vs West Indies Highlights, 1st T20I: Santner's Late Heroics In Vain As WI Seal 7-Wicket Win

Hello and Welcome to our live coverage of the 1st T20I between New Zealand and West Indies which is set to take place at the Eden Park, Auckland.

West Indies: Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk & 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: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (wk), 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,

The New Zealand vs West Indies 2025 1st T20I match will be available for livestreaming on FanCode website and app. However, the live TV telecast of the match won't be available in India.

New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bowl first.

New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy.

West Indies: Shai Hope (wk & c), Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Roston Chase, Ackeem Auguste, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales.

WI openers Brandon King and Athanaze are at the crease. Brandon King is on strike. Jacob Duffy will open the attack for New Zealand and will look for initial breakthroughs.

Jacob Duffy strikes early! Brandon King flicks a full delivery straight to short mid-wicket, and Foulkes takes a sharp catch overhead. Soft dismissal, King gone for 3.

Athanaze is a lucky, lucky man. Hope hit a flat shot off Duffy, and it flew straight onto the top of the non-striker's stumps. Duffy is all smiles, claiming he got a touch, and Athanaze looks mighty disappointed. However, the third umpire has no conclusive proof, and the screen shows NOT OUT.

Excellent comeback from Jameson after being struck out of the park by Athanaze in the previous ball. This one has a little bit more bounce, which gets a thick outside edge, and it's an easy catch by Chapman at deep square leg. Ackeem Auguste is the new batter.

That's the end of the powerplay, and West Indies are way behind the par score on this ground. Meanwhile, the Caribbean side are lucky not to lose another wicket. He tried to hit Duffy across the line, and there was definitely a noise as the Kiwis appealed for both caught behind and LBW. However, the umpire is not satisfied, and due to technical reasons, ther's no DRS or UltraEdge available.

It's a little bit shorter from Neesham. Auguste, not accustomed to the bounce on this pitch, hits the shot way too early, and Ravindra is a safe pair of hands as West Indies lose their third wicket. Roston Chase is the new batter.

With the pressure of getting boundaries falling on Hope, Chase frees his arm and targets Santner, backing away and hitting it over wide long-off for a six. The West Indians almost shoot themselves in the foot with some lazy running, but Hope's bbat was grounded when Bracewell's throw hit the stumps.

With the strike rate yet to really get going, Hope has decided to target the Kiwi spinners, hitting two massive sixes off Ravindra and Santner to take the run rate to 7.5. There's finally some promise to what has been a drab performance at Eden Park.

The danger man, Shai Hope, is gone! The partnership between him and Chase had crossed fifty, but the hosts break it in the right team. After being hit for a big six, Foulkes bowls a cutter, and Chase swings and misses as the stumps go flying. Rovman Powell is the new batter.

A big over from Foulkes, with 12 coming from it. Powell has decided that he will be the one to go all guns blazing, hitting a boundary off the first ball despite mistiming his shot. He ends the over with a thumping six, punishing the bowler for a loose full-toss.

Powell dropped! That was the opportunity for NZ to dismiss the power hitter. Powell mistimed his shot, and it went high up in the night sky. Bracewell, one of the best fielders in the game, waited with his eyes on the ball, but ultimately dropped it when the chance came.

New Zealand get a late breakthrough, as Chase goes for 28. He had already made up his mind to scoop it over, but Duffy's pace beats him and hits the stumps. Jason Holder is the new batter.

Another skidded delivery from Foulkes. Powell tried to pull the short ball, but it got a slight top edge and is grasped well by Conway. Romario Shepherd is the new batter.

A decent final over for West Indies, with Shepherd scoring back-to-back boundaries to take his side to a respectable total in the first innings. New Zealand need 165 runs to win.

A solid start from New Zealand, with opener Tim Robinson dispatching the very first delivery off Seales over the ropes for four runs. His strike partner, Devon Conway, is also off the mark.

The partnership is broken, and Forde is absolutely delighted with Conway's wicket. Slightest hint of inward movement, and the Kiwi batter is rooted to his spot as the ball goes past the inside edge and onto the off-stump. Rachin Ravindra is the new batter.

Despite a 14-run over coming off Seales, West Indies have slowed down New Zealand's onslaught a bit. Forde ends the powerplay coneding just one, and you feel like a bit of pressure building among the Kiwi batters.

The pressure we were talking about comes to a head as Robinson tries to hit Shepherd over cover, but the lofted ball flies to Athanaze at deep cover, and the Kiwis lose their second wicket. Mark Chapman is the new batter.

Roston Chase strikes, and Chapman has to depart. Not happy with taking the singles, Chapman tried to open up the face of his bat and hit it over the park, but caught it with the toe end. It's catching practice for Forde at long-off. Time for drinks.

A little wide and sliding delivery from Hosein, with the ball going away from the left hander. Ravindra doesn't get enough power under his one-handed shot, and Holder takes an easy catch at long-on. Michael Bracewell is the new batter.

Extremely uncharacteristic from Mitchell, who wildly swung his bat, looking to flat-bat it over the ground. Instead, he gets a thick edge and the ball flies up in the sky, and it's a decent grab by Forde at cover. Jimmy Neesham is the new batter, just three runs away from 1000 T20I runs.

It goes from bad to worse for New Zealand, as the West Indies are making life very difficult for the hosts. Bracewell wanted to hook it over short fine leg, but Seales shortens the length of the delivery. As a result, the ball was a lot closer to his bat than Bracewell wanted, and he finds the gloves of the wicketkeeper. Mitchell Santner is the new batter.

What is going on with the New Zealand batting line-up. Foulkes goes for just one, three balls after Neesham was dismissed. Four wickets tonight for Roston Chase, and West Indies are close to winning their first-ever regulation-time T20I match in New Zealand.

With Jamieson departing and NZ's defeat all but certain, Santner tries to make the scoreboard look respectable with a big over off Forde, who has been excellent tonight. 4-6-4-4-4-1. 23 runs off that over, and the Kiwis need 33 more off 12 balls.

An absolute captain's knock from Santner, who gave West Indies a proper scare and draggin g the match down to the last ball. Santner ends the match at 55 runs off 28 balls, but West Indies seal a seven-wicket win – their first regulation time win in New Zealand.