West Indies claim third successive T20I win over New Zealand
What's the story
West Indies beat New Zealand in the 1st T20I of the five-match series at Eden Park, Auckland, on November 5. Banking on skipper Shai Hope's half-century, the Windies racked up 164/6 in 20 overs after being invited to bat. Roston Chase and Rovman Powell also played impactful knocks. The Kiwis suffered a collapse before Mitchell Santner rescued them. However, they lost by seven runs.
Start
Hope takes WI toward 100
Brandon King's dismissal in the first over exposed Hope to the middle. Despite losing Alick Athanaze (16) and Ackeem Auguste (2), the Windies skipper took the side toward 100. He added 33 in his 54-run partnership with Chase thereafter. Hope was knocked over by Zakary Foulkes in the 13th over, leaving WI at 97/4. He scored a 39-ball 53 (4 fours and 3 sixes).
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Chase, Powell bolster the Windies
With the visitors staring at a collapse, Chase and Powell stitched a 49-run partnership. Jacob Duffy dismissed Chase (28), while Powell's 23-ball 33 was cut short by Zakary Foulkes. Romario Shepherd (9*) and Jason Holder (5*) later propelled WI past 160.
Milestone
Hope reaches 500 T20I runs as captain
Hope raced past 500 runs as captain in T20I cricket. Leading the Windies in 15 matches, he has racked up 517 runs at an average of 39.76. His tally includes four half-centuries. Overall, Hope has tallied 1,364 runs from 54 T20Is at an average of 30.31. This was his 10th fifty-plus score in the format (100s: 1).
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Hope joins these players
According to ESPNcricinfo, Hope became only the third player to score 500-plus T20I runs as West Indies' captain. He joined Powell (884) and Kieron Pollard (666) in this regard.
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Third consecutive win over NZ
As mentioned, West Indies won their third successive T20I against New Zealand. Before this, the two sides met in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, where the Windies prevailed. WI also beat New Zealand in the 2022 Kingston T20I.