Auckland, Nov 5 (NationPress) West Indies achieved a pivotal victory against New Zealand in the inaugural T20I of the five-match series held at Eden Park on Wednesday. This match, characterized by its low score, concluded with the visitors triumphing by just seven runs.

The hosts’ choice to bowl first after winning the toss proved detrimental as they struggled to chase down the formidable target of 165 runs. After batting first, the Windies faced an early setback with the loss of Brandon King in the first over, allowing the Kiwis to start strong.

Alick Athanaze contributed a quick nine-ball 16, while Ackeem Auguste managed only two runs, leaving the visitors at 43/3 within seven overs.

It was Shai Hope’s steady half-century, featuring four fours and three sixes, alongside contributions from Roston Chase and Rovman Powell with scores of 28 and 33, that propelled the team to a total of 164-6 in their 20 overs.

For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Zakary Foulkes each took two wickets, while Kyle Jamieson and James Neesham added one each.

As they chased 165, New Zealand began well with openers Tim Robinson and Devon Conway accumulating 30 runs in the first three overs before Matthew Forde struck to dismiss Conway. The Men in Maroon consistently claimed wickets, hindering the batters' ability to build momentum.

Despite Robinson and Ravindra scoring 27 and 21 runs respectively, the in-form Daryl Mitchell could not make an impact this time, dismissed by Jayden Seales for 13 runs off nine balls.

Captain Mitchel Santner then spearheaded the innings, keeping the score moving as the target came within reach. Nevertheless, he lacked the necessary support from his teammates, making it difficult to establish a winning partnership as wickets fell rapidly.

At 70/2, New Zealand appeared to be in a robust position, but a dramatic collapse in the middle overs severely compromised their chances. They slid to 107/9 as Chase took several vital wickets. Seales provided effective support, and the West Indies looked set for a significant victory.

However, Santner had other ideas, hitting Forde for 23 runs in one over and continuing to score boundaries, bringing the match down to the final over. The all-rounder took the game deep, requiring 20 runs off the last over, but his unbeaten knock of 55 ultimately fell short as the visitors successfully defended their total, winning by seven runs.

Brief Scores: West Indies 164-6 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 53, Rovman Powell 33; Jacob Duffy 2-19, Zakary Foulkes 2-35) defeated New Zealand 157-9 in 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 55, Tim Robinson 27; Roston Chase 3-26, Jayden Seales 3-32) by seven runs.