HAGLEY OVAL: Daryl Mitchell let out a rare roar after reaching a century in New Zealand’s first ODI against the West Indies at Hagley Oval.
His seventh ODI hundred, a gritty 119 on a challenging, two-paced pitch, helped New Zealand post 269, a total they defended narrowly by seven runs to take an early lead in the series.
West Indies, after electing to bowl first, remained competitive for much of the match. They replaced three spinners from their previous game with seamers, with Matthew Forde emerging as the standout in the opening overs.
Forde came close to a hat-trick in the seventh over, removing Rachin Ravindra for 4 and Will Young for a golden duck in his 50th ODI. At 24 for 2, the Blackcaps found themselves in early trouble on a pitch offering consistent seam movement.
Mitchell walked in and countered with clever footwork, nullifying the seamers’ threat and steadily increasing the scoring rate.
Devon Conway contributed a scratchy but vital 49 off 58 balls as the hosts recovered to 91 for 2, before the innings stalled again under the tight bowling of Roston Chase.
Exploiting the wind and using impeccable length, Chase created multiple chances, though only one ended in a wicket. Michael Bracewell, who added 35 off 52, was reprieved twice, allowing New Zealand to regain momentum.
At 192 for 5 in the 42nd over, Mitchell, on 79, pulled up with a left-leg issue and had to bat with limited running.
Despite the injury, he cleared the straight boundaries with trademark power, reaching his century with 12 fours and two sixes, ultimately dragging New Zealand to a competitive total.
Mitchell was dropped twice earlier, on 19 and 67, but his innings—coming after four fifties in his last seven ODIs—proved decisive.
West Indies struggled to adjust to the conditions, with Keacy Carty’s 20 off 67 balls highlighting their difficulties against swing, seam, and bounce.
The visitors crawled to 32 in the first 10 overs and 59 after 19, with a 30-ball stretch producing only seven scoring shots against Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes.
At 138 for 4 in the 35th over, they were well behind the required rate before Sherfane Rutherford’s brisk 55 off 61 balls injected life into the chase.
Justin Greaves and a hampered Romario Shepherd also hit big in the final overs, though they squandered several chances given by New Zealand.
Ultimately, West Indies needed 20 off the final over but fell just short. Kyle Jamieson finished with figures of 3 for 52 to seal a thrilling victory for the hosts.