Auckland, Nov 5 (IANS) West Indies secured a clutch win against New Zealand in the first T20I of the five-match series between the two sides that started here on Wednesday at Eden Park. In what turned out to be a low-scoring thriller, the visitors clinched a victory by seven runs.

The hosts’ decision to bowl first after winning the toss backfired as they failed to chase an above-par target of 165 runs. Put to bat first, the Windies lost the wicket of Brandon King in the first over as the Kiwis got off to a flyer.

Alick Athanaze notched up a quick nine-ball 16, while Ackeem Auguste was dismissed cheaply, scoring just two runs, as the visitors were reduced to 43/3 in seven overs.

It was skipper Shai Hope’s composed half-century, studded with four fours and three sixes, followed by Roston Chase and Rovman Powell’s knocks of 28 and 33 that helped the side reach 164-6 in their 20-over quota.

As for New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Zakary Foulkes picked up two wickets apiece, while Kyle Jamieson and James Neesham finished with one scalp each.

Chasing 165, New Zealand started decently as openers Tim Robinson and Devon Conway put up 30 runs in the first three overs before Matthew Forde struck to dismiss the latter. Thereon, the Men in Maroon kept striking at regular intervals, making it difficult for the batters to find momentum.

While Robinson and Ravindra scored 27 and 21 runs, respectively, the in-form Daryl Mitchell failed to fire this time and was sent back to the hut by Jayden Seales for a nine-ball 13.

Skipper Mitchel Santner then led from the front and kept the scoreboard ticking as the target lessened and looked achievable at a point in time. However, he didn’t receive the required support from the other end, and forming a good winning partnership looked challenging with wickets falling like dominoes.

At 70/2, New Zealand were in a strong position, but a collapse in the middle overs severely hurt their chances. They fell to 107/9 after Chase took some crucial wickets. Seales assisted him well, and the West Indies seemed headed for a large victory.

However, Santner had other plans; he hit Forde for 23 runs in one over and kept scoring boundaries, bringing the game to the last over. The all-rounder took the game deep as New Zealand required 20 off the final over, but his unbeaten 55-run knock went in vain as the visitors managed to defend the total to clinch a seven-run victory.

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

–IANS

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