PROVIDENCE, Guyana – The West Indies kicked off their five-match one-day international series against New Zealand with a confident seven-wicket victory on Saturday, built on a match-defining 131-run third wicket stand between Keacy Carty and Shai Hope that anchored the hosts’ run chase.
New Zealand won nothing but regret after being sent in to bat first upon winning the toss. All-rounder Daryl Mitchell, fresh off a match-winning century that secured a test series victory over England just weeks prior, carried the Black Caps’ batting lineup with a top-scoring 65 runs. Will Young chipped in with 49, combining for an 80-run opening partnership with Henry Nicholls who made 27, but the rest of the batting order failed to convert promising starts into big scores. Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner all reached the 20s but could not push on to match-defining contributions.
By the 40th over, New Zealand sat comfortably at 216 for four, on track to post a total in excess of 300 that would have put the West Indies under serious pressure in home conditions. But a catastrophic late-order collapse changed the entire course of the game: the Black Caps lost their final six wickets for just 33 runs, folding all out for 267. Debutant West Indies bowler Vitel Lawes was the star of the collapse, claiming three key wickets – Nicholls, Chapman and Bracewell – to finish his maiden international outing with figures of 3 for 54.
The West Indies got off to a solid start in their run chase, reaching 92 for two in the 19th over with opener Akeem Auguste contributing 38 runs from 58 deliveries before Carty and Hope came together at the crease. The pair controlled the tempo of the innings perfectly, keeping the required run rate below one run per over by ticking along at between five and six runs per over, eliminating any sense of urgency or pressure from the chase.
Carty, who hit his fourth ODI century exactly one year ago, survived a controversial mid-innings scare when he appeared to dislodge the bails with his bat after hitting a six off Jacob Duffy’s bowling. Umpires ruled the shot had been completed before the stumps were disturbed, allowing Carty to continue batting. He made the most of the let-off, moving to 95 off 112 deliveries – just five runs short of his fifth international century – before holing out to Nathan Smith off Michael Bracewell’s bowling.
After Carty’s dismissal, Hope anchored the remaining overs to see the West Indies across the line, finishing unbeaten on 87. He shared an unbroken 45-run stand from just 31 balls with Sherfane Rutherford, who ended the innings not out on 22. Even with 37 runs needed from the final five overs, the pair remained unflustered, steadily bringing the target within reach before closing out the win. A six from Hope from the first ball of the 49th over and a second six from Rutherford to the fifth ball of the same over wrapped up the chase with seven full deliveries remaining.
The second match of the five-match ODI series will return to the same Providence venue on Monday, with the West Indies looking to extend their early series lead.