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The Black Caps have won their first game of the summer today, defeating the West Indies with a five-wicket victory.
Catch up on some key moments from the match with the live updates below.
Lockie Ferguson celebrates taking a wicket against the West Indies at Eden Park. Source: Photosport
New Zealand: 179/5 (15.2 / 16 overs) Santner 31, Neesham 48
THAT’S! NEW ZEALAND TAKE IT! Black Caps wins it with a Santner six! What a way to end the game. It definitely made it to the last minute, but it was a great result for the first game of the season.
New Zealand: 171/5 (15/16 overs) Santner 16, Neesham 45
This last ending is going to be a four-plus six-ball cookie!
New Zealand: 140/5 (12.2 / 16 overs) Santner 0, Neesham 44
Gone! The association comes to an end. Conway goes out for 41. A real game that defines the debutant’s innings, stabilizing New Zealand’s innings. Santner enters with the hopes of New Zealand resting on his shoulders.
NZ: 138/4 (12/16 overs) Conway 39, Neesham 44, NZ needs 38 24-ball runs
Conway and Neesham continue to punish the Windies with multiple limits. Neesham now surpasses Conway on the race tally, but the two are working brilliantly together. The gap between the balls left and the runs left to score is getting smaller and smaller.
NZ: 118/4 (10/16 overs) Conway 37, Neesham 31, NZ needs 58 36-ball runs
Conway and Neesham mention their 50-race partnership. Neesham shoots two sixes and two fours on this. Starting to catch up with Conway on the racing account with nearly half the deliveries, but the two are working well together. The pair are now playing Black Caps again in this game with some quick limits.
NZ: 83/4 (8/16 overs) Conway 26, Neesham 9, NZ needs 93 runs of 48 balls
Conway is really starting to settle in now with a series of expansive shots. At 26 of 16 balls, Conway looks comfortable, breaking his first six balls. The rookie is seen as the Black Caps’ best hope of making their innings together.
New Zealand: 63/4 (6.3 / 16 overs) Conway 14, Neesham 0
Taylor runs out of a duck! After a lengthy appeal from LBW, Taylor rushes down the field for a single, but a spot shot off Allen’s stumps at Midwicket caught Taylor well below the crease and walks without protest. Jimmy Neesham now faces the task of stabilizing New Zealand’s attack. After further review it was shown that the LBW was going to hit too.
New Zealand: 62/3 (5.3 / 16 overs) Conway 14, Taylor 0
Phillips is gone! He has a couple of electric turns in the fold and it all comes to an end after cutting the ball at the stumps. In anticipation of a shorter delivery, Phillips was looking to play cross bat through the point, but the ball is fuller and Phillips calls. Ross Taylor in the following.
NZ: 34/2 (3.5 / 16 overs) Conway 9, Phillips 0, NZ needs 142 of 73 balls
Seifert goes for 17! He scoops a catch halfway but almost spills when Rovman Powell loses the ball in the lights, yet he regains his sight of the ball and clings to it. Oshane Thomas lifts his first wicket and Glenn Phillips marches to the middle.
NZ: 27/1 (3/16 overs) Conway 9, Seifert 12, NZ needs 149 of 78 balls
Seifert rolls a six and a four, while Conway settles with two fours in the final two overs. New Zealand still isn’t scoring at the pace they need, but it looks like these two could build an inning together. It is still the first days.
NZ: 7/1 (0.4 / 16 overs) Guptill 5, Seifert 1, NZ needs 169 of 93 balls
Guptill and Seifert fight their way to the middle with a gigantic task on their hands. Guptill leaves early! He goes after a loose cut shot attempt, canceling just five runs. Cottrell celebrates with his usual march and salute. Conway works his way to the middle on his debut.
West Indies: 180/7 (16/16 overs) Cottrell 1, Pollard 75
Kieron Pollard really led by example shooting 75 against 37 sending several balls into the stands. Eight sixes and four fours. What tickets! New Zealand has a great task ahead of it.
West Indies: 146/7 (13.5 / 16 overs) Cottrell 0, Pollard 45
5-FER! Ferguson really spearheads this attack! Keemo Paul anticipates a short delivery and walks over to Seifert, who takes it comfortably.
West Indies: 143/6 (13.3 / 16 overs) Paul 0, Pollard 45
FERGUSON GETS HIS ROOM! Allen goes out for 30 after a lazy shot attempt catches the top edge of his bat. Ball sails towards Seifert, who doesn’t seem to notice Allen made contact, however, no discussion, he heads to the locker room with his bat under his arm and Keemo Paul heads to the middle.
West Indies: 131/5 (11/16 overs) Allen 19, Pollard 45
Neesham is dispatched for this, going for three sixes and four, 22 runs at the end. The Black Caps are really struggling to apply pressure right now.
West Indies: 108/5 (11/16 overs) Allen 19, Pollard 22
After a 20 minute rain break, the covers are removed and the teams return to the field. Both innings will now be reduced to 16 overs due to delays. Southee looks for his spinning attack to get things going with Santner resuming play. West Indies exploits the gaps and Santner goes for 12 runs in his first over.
West Indies: 96/5 (10/20 overs) Allen 8, Pollard 21
The covers are hastily removed when the skies open. Jamieson returns to the attack and struggles with consistency after a couple of attempts. However, it is only good for six. Not so bad in the context of the match!
West Indies: 90/5 (9/20 overs) Allen 6, Pollard 19
A pair of scares for the West Indies, Pollard comes out after an LBW shout from Bennett, but a review sees the decision overturned. Pollard proceeds to effortlessly smash a six directly on Bennett’s head. 9 runs by Bennett and another eight by Ferguson before that. The West Indies expect these two to settle in now.
West Indies: 73/5 (7/20 overs) Allen 2, Pollard 12
The West Indies overcome without losing a wicket. Some chances, but the Windies get 13 runs in that trade. They needed it after the horror run they just had.
West Indies: 59/5 (5.1 / 20 overs)
GONE! Ferguson in a hattrick! A full throw to Nicholas Pooran’s legs, he hits him on the rolling knee and hits him. Pooran reviews it but they stick with the decision on the field. The tides have turned! Pooran heads to the sheds with only one race to his name.
West Indies: 58/4 (4.5 / 20 overs)
AGAIN! The West Indies are dropping like flies now. Lockie Ferguson takes a fine leg catch after a missed shot by Rovman Powell from the Southee bowling alley. It’s really making up for that openness! Powell went for a duck!
West Indies: 58/3 (4.2 / 20 overs)
Southee gets her first! A wild shot from Brandon King is picked up at one point back by Jimmy Neesham. King leaves at 1 p.m.
West Indies: 58/2 (3.6 / 20 overs)
OTHER! New hitter Shimron Hetmeyer doesn’t last long. Hetmyer walks away from the stumps looking to hit over Ferguson’s head. Ferguson follows him bowling on his body line and Hetmyer makes a cut with Seifert taking an easy catch.
West Indies: 58/1 (3.2 / 20 overs)
SHUTTER! CLEAN BOWLED! Ferguson packs Andre Fletcher’s scalp. Not a bad shot though 34 runs of 14 balls. Ferguson sends the ball crashing down the middle as Fletcher looks to throw the ball through the midwicket.
West Indies: 54/0 (3/20 overs)
Southee took off after her previous one, which seems like forever. Hamish Bennett steps in, but it turns out to be more expensive. Bennett is going for 29 runs on that change! Five extras and a whopping six over midwicket, a trio of four and a pair of singles. Windies could get closer to a world record in opening power play.
West Indies: 26/0 (2/20 overs) Fletcher 18, King 4
Fletcher welcomes Jamieson to international T20 cricket with two sixes, one longer and a nice cut 10 rows back over the third man. Unfortunately, the rain returns and the players take off from the ground at the end of the lap.
West Indies: 8/0 (1/20 overs) Fletcher 6, King 0
Finally back in the middle. Southee back to finish off the finish, throwing one more wide. That took almost half an hour!
7:15 pm: Eden Park’s ground crew removes the blankets when the showers disappear. The crowd loves it. Ground crews now clean surface moisture in gardens with rolled burlap.
7:05 pm: Four balls in and the covers are out! The game is on hold now while we wait for the rain to fade. However, it was not the best start for New Zealand, Tim Southee’s first two balls were wide open and a four and a single by Andre Fletcher of the West Indies.
7:00 pm: A little rain comes in as the whole field kneels just before the game begins in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
6:40 pm: The Black Caps won the draw that Captain Tim Southee chose to play first, taking advantage of favorable conditions for bowling. It is currently cloudy with a light breeze in Eden Park, however it looks like we could see rain later in the evening. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it lasts for time!
The Black Caps will not feature the usual skipper Kane Williamson, who will not participate in the T20 series alongside Trent Boult after an action-packed IPL series in Abu Dhabi.
South African-born batsman Devon Conway enters the team, making his international debut, and after just three years in the country, the 29-year-old has already made his mark on the New Zealand cricket scene.
Conway impressed in all formats for Wellington last season and has continued his good form this season.
Kyle Jamieson also makes his first T20 debut for the Black Caps after a stellar season with the New Zealand test team last year.
