West Indies collapse gifts New Zealand series-levelling victory

The five-match One Day International series between New Zealand and the West Indies is now tied at 1-1 after the Windies lost by 5 wickets in a low-scoring game at Providence, Guyana, on Monday. This defeat comes after the Men in Maroon won the first ODI comfortably.​

The West Indies started the game strongly, having lost the toss and being sent in to bat by Mitchell Santner, the Kiwi skipper. Ackeem Auguste and John Campbell put on 63 for the first wicket before both fell in quick succession. Campbell finished with the top score of 43. What followed was a procession of sorts, as batsmen came in, faced a few deliveries for very few runs, and got out.​

Six out of ten wickets were bowled, which was unusual. Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox led the way for New Zealand, who finished with 5 for 19, while Santner and Michael Bracewell each took two wickets.

The West Indies fought back well with the ball, taking wickets at regular intervals. However, New Zealand managed to chase down the target and even the series.

“If we’d put 60-70 more runs, it would have been a different game,”​ West Indies captain Shai Hope said in a post-match interview. “Conditions in the Caribbean usually favour the teams batting second. I’m not someone who wins the toss too often, so [batting first] is something we need to get a little better at. We need to adapt for the next game and find a way of setting a target.”​

The Men in Maroon will look to improve when they play New Zealand again at the same venue on Thursday.

The article West Indies collapse gifts New Zealand series-levelling victory is from St. Lucia Times.