West Indies Edge New Zealand in Tense T20 Thriller 

News Desk 

Auckland: Mitchell Santner’s explosive unbeaten 55 off just 28 balls went in vain as West Indies clinched a nail-biting seven-run victory over New Zealand in the opening T20I at Eden Park on Wednesday.

Roston Chase starred for the visitors with an impressive all-round performance, scoring 28 runs and claiming 3 wickets for 26, while skipper Shai Hope anchored the innings with a solid half-century. Jayden Seales also shone with the ball, taking three key wickets to help seal the win.

Put in to bat first, West Indies had a shaky start, losing Brandon King early. Hope steadied the innings with Alick Athanaze, who briefly lifted the scoring rate before being dismissed. Despite the slow start, Hope’s calculated stroke play and late fireworks from Chase and Rovman Powell lifted West Indies to a competitive 164 for 6.

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New Zealand began their chase strongly, with Devon Conway and Tim Robinson adding 30 runs in the first three overs. However, the West Indies bowlers struck back swiftly, dismantling the hosts’ middle order and reducing them to 88 for 6.

Even after James Neesham’s early dismissal, Santner staged a remarkable late fightback, hammering Matthew Forde for four boundaries and a six before taking Jason Holder for three consecutive fours. With 19 needed off the final over, Romario Shepherd held his nerve, delivering two dot balls before conceding a six — ultimately ensuring West Indies’ narrow win.

Brief Scores:

West Indies 164/6 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 55, Rovman Powell 33; Jacob Duffy 2-19)

beat

New Zealand 157/9 in 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 55*, Tim Robinson 27; Roston Chase 3-26, Jayden Seales 3-32) by 7 runs.