Joshua da Silva’s half-century debut gave the West Indies a positive conclusion to a difficult tour
New Zealand 460 (Nicholls 174, Wagner 66, Gabriel 3-93, Joseph 3-109) beat West Indies 131 (Blackwood 69, Southee 5-32, Jamieson 5-34) and (f / 0) 317 (Campbell 68, Jason Holder 61, da Silva 57, Wagner 3-54, Boult 3-96) for one inning and 11 runs
Tim Southee and Neil Wagner picked up two lower-order wickets apiece as New Zealand completed a 2-0 sweep series over the West Indies, the hosts taking just 13.3 overs on the fourth morning to wrap up their second straight win in innings. The victory brought New Zealand to the top of the ICC Test standings and also allowed them to collect a full 120 points from this series to strengthen their chances of reaching the final of the World Test Championship at Lord’s.
The West Indies, which started the day with 85 points, were 11 runs away from hitting New Zealand again. Southee put an end to any hope for a miraculous return from the West Indies when he straightened a defensive bat past Jason Holder to knock down his stump in the morning’s first full over, but there were positives for the visitors to recover from the final day of his tour, courtesy of a half-century debut by Joshua da Silva and some light strokes by Alzarri Joseph.
Da Silva looked organized as he defended with either foot, and was on the lookout for any scoring possibility, be it on drives, leg clips, or most impressive as he lunges on the short ball to shoot. Given how comfortable he looked against a quality attack, it seems likely that he will retain his place even when regular goalkeeper Shane Dowrich returns.
Joseph, meanwhile, followed his 86th second inning at Hamilton with a 24 of 18 balls that contained two shots of six and three of four, including an impressive direct drive off Southee. He looked like a suitable hitter when he hit his shots, and if he works a little harder on his defensive game, the West Indies might consider pushing him to No. 8 and Jason Holder to No. 7 to allow them to play. an extra bowler.
The West Indies continued to chase bowling after Joseph played at Southee, with Chemar Holder successively hitting Daryl Mitchell, who arrived with New Zealand waiting for the second new ball.
They didn’t need to take it at the end, with Wagner managing to throw a 77-year-old ball at da Silva to catch him 57 lbw, and ending the game in his next over by hitting No. 11 Shannon Gabriel. .
Karthik Krishnaswamy is a senior deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
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