WI wins a close match to take a 1-0 lead, despite Mitchell Santner's late efforts

WI wins a close match to take a 1-0 lead, despite Mitchell Santner's late efforts

West Indies vs New Zealand: Matthew Forde made a strong comeback from injury to help West Indies win the first T20I against New Zealand. Although the West Indies defended the lowest-ever total at Eden Park in T20Is, they had to fight hard as Mitchell Santner nearly pulled off a stunning chase with an unbeaten 55 off just 28 balls.

Romario Shepherd kept his cool in the final over to seal the win for West Indies. Earlier, Roston Chase impressed with both bat and ball—he took 3 wickets for 26 runs and played key roles in two of West Indies’ biggest partnerships. He was named Player of the Match.

Forde’s fiery return

Forde hadn’t played since July due to a shoulder injury, but he looked sharp with the new ball. Bowling from around the wicket, he troubled Devon Conway with swing and eventually bowled him with a perfect inswinger. Forde finished his first three overs with 1 for 9 and 14 dot balls. However, Santner hit him for 23 runs in the 18th over, slightly denting his figures.

Santner’s late fireworks

New Zealand collapsed from 70 for 2 to 107 for 9, losing 7 wickets for just 37 runs. But Santner gave them hope with a flurry of boundaries—seven fours and one six in just nine balls. In the final over, New Zealand needed 20 runs. Santner hit a six but couldn’t finish the job, despite setting a record for the highest tenth-wicket stand in New Zealand’s T20I history.

Hope anchors West Indies' innings

West Indies struggled early with the bat, adjusting to the bouncy New Zealand pitch after playing in Bangladesh and India. Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, and Ackeem Auguste all got out cheaply. Captain Shai Hope steadied the innings, scoring 53 off 39 balls. He started slowly, making just 11 runs off 17 balls in the power play, but picked up pace after attacking Jimmy Neesham in the seventh over.

Hope reached his fifty with a six off Zakary Foulkes but was bowled on the very next ball. Rovman Powell added some late runs with two big sixes, despite being dropped twice by Michael Bracewell.

New Zealand’s bowlers impress

Despite missing key pacers like Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, and Lockie Ferguson, New Zealand’s bowling attack performed well. Jacob Duffy was the standout, taking 1 for 10 in the power play and later bowling Chase with a perfect yorker. He gave away just one boundary in his four overs.

Kyle Jamieson looked solid on his return from injury, and Foulkes had mixed success but managed to take two wickets.