New Zealand crushed West Indies by four wickets in the third ODI of the three-match series at Seddon Park in Hamilton. West Indies, after choosing to bat first, were bowled out in 36.2 overs for just 161 runs. New Zealand’s four-man pace attack destroyed the visitors’ fragile batting line-up. They used swing, pace, and bounce to dismiss West Indies cheaply. Matt Henry (4/43 in 9.2 overs), Jacob Duffy (2/27 in 7 overs), and Mitchell Santner (2/27 in 6 overs) demolished the West Indies batting order.
While chasing, New Zealand lost a few wickets, but Mark Chapman and Michael Bracewell guided the hosts to a comfortable victory. With this win, New Zealand completed a 3–0 series sweep and strengthened their dominance at home.
Top Order Stumbles but Chapman and Bracewell Rescue the Chase
New Zealand missed Daryl Mitchell, the world’s No.1 ODI batter, who was out injured. They struggled early in the chase. The hosts lost their top three wickets within 11 overs. Tom Latham also fell cheaply, leaving them shaky.
However, Mark Chapman steadied the innings with Michael Bracewell. Chapman smashed 64 off 63 balls and handled the new-ball threat from Matthew Forde and Jayden Seales. His counterattack put New Zealand back in control.
Bracewell joined in with power-hitting during a quick 75-run stand for the fifth wicket. They added those runs in only 48 balls. Their strong partnership kept left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, replacing the injured Romario Shepherd, out of the attack entirely. Pierre did not bowl and played only as a fielder.
New Zealand lost Chapman and captain Mitchell Santner near the finish line, but Bracewell and Zak Foulkes completed the chase with almost 20 overs left.
West Indies Collapse After Poor Start
West Indies chose to bat but left nearly 14 overs unused. Matt Henry led the destruction with 4 for 43. Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy and Foulkes shared four more wickets. Without Romario Shepherd, who missed the match with a hamstring issue, West Indies lacked batting depth.
Henry triggered the collapse in the fifth over. He dismissed Ackeem Auguste and Keacy Carty. Auguste wasted another good start by hitting a short ball to mid-on for 17. Henry then used a tight Test-match line to bowl Carty for a duck.
Conditions at Seddon Park did not provide big movement, but there was enough assistance. Jamieson switched to around the wicket and found extra bounce. He removed opener John Campbell for 26. Only Campbell and Roston Chase crossed 25.
Foulkes dismissed Shai Hope, West Indies’ best ODI batter, for 16 by getting him caught down the leg side. That pushed West Indies to 77 for 4.
Short Balls Trouble the Middle Order
When early swing disappeared, New Zealand’s quicks used short balls to trouble the middle order. Henry, Jamieson and Duffy mixed cross-seam and scrambled-seam deliveries to keep the batters uncomfortable.
Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase and Shamar Springer all fell to bouncers. At one point, Santner even placed Rachin Ravindra at short leg, a rare sight in ODIs.
Jamieson hit Chase on the glove in the 30th over, forcing him to take treatment. One over later, Henry dismissed Chase with a top-edge to extra cover. Pierre and Seales added 18 runs for the last wicket, but Henry returned to end the innings. Santner also contributed with the ball. He took the wickets of Justin Greaves and Matthew Forde in the same over, speeding up the collapse.
West Indies Strike Early but Can't Stop New Zealand
West Indies tried to fight back with the ball. Seales dared Devon Conway to hook and removed him at long leg. He also extended Will Young’s poor run. Forde, effective against left-handers throughout the tour, bowled Rachin Ravindra for 14.
Chase dismissed Latham at midwicket, leaving New Zealand at 70 for 4. The hosts looked vulnerable without Mitchell, but Chapman and Bracewell lifted them.
Chapman began slowly, scoring 13 off 29 balls. Then he shifted gears and reached his fifty off 58 deliveries. He attacked Forde in the 27th over, hitting him for 4, 6, 4, 4 and damaging his figures. Bracewell stayed unbeaten as he and Foulkes wrapped up the series win comfortably.
Brief Scorecard
New Zealand outclassed West Indies in the ODI series. In every match, New Zealand showed disciplined bowling, batted according to the situation, and most importantly kept their cool at crucial moments. Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Mark Chapman, and all the team performed well.
West Indies, on the other hand, played better in New Zealand compared to previous tours. Roston Chase performed well but needs to improve to achieve stronger results. Shai Hope also played very well, but fortune favours the brave, and his efforts were not enough as West Indies fell short in the close matches. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!