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Shai Hope and Roston Chase help West Indies survive Santner scare to defeat NZ in 1st T20I

Aakash Saini

Chase & Hope (Source: AFP Photos)Chase & Hope (Source: AFP Photos)

West Indies edged out hosts New Zealand in a nail-biter to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. In a gripping battle between captains and half-centurions Shai Hope and Mitchell Santner, it was the former’s composed 53 that ultimately made the difference for the visitors.

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights of the first T20I of the five-match series between New Zealand and West Indies, as it panned out at the Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 5.

Shai Hope’s measured 50 takes West Indies to 164

New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy jolted West Indies early with the wicket of Brandon King in just the first over of the match. King’s opening partner Alick Athanaze struck a confident nine-ball 16 before his blistering start was halted by lanky paceman Kyle Jamieson (1-30). James Neesham got the wicket of Ackeem Auguste for just two as West Indies slipped to 43-3 in seven overs.

Visiting captain and number three batter Shai Hope struck back with a measured half-century, scoring 53 from 39 balls with four fours and three huge sixes. Roston Chase (28 off 27) and Rovman Powell (33 off 23) also chipped in with valuable runs in the backend as West Indies carted a competitive 164-6 in 20 overs. For New Zealand, Zak Foulkes (2-35) picked up the key wickets of half-centurion Shai Hope and a threatening Powell, while Duffy bagged his second in the slog overs to claim tight figures of 2-19.

Santner fights on, but Seales and Chase prove too much to handle

New Zealand openers Tim Robinson and Devon Conway started off with a flurry of powerplay boundaries, until both batters were dismissed by Romario Shepherd and Matthew Forde respectively at 48-2 in 6.1 overs. As Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra kept the scoreboard moving, New Zealand suffered a dramatic middle-order collapse orchestrated by Jayden Seales (3-32) and Roston Chase (3-26) as the hosts tumbled from 70-2 to 107-9 in the space of just 42 balls.

For New Zealand, captain and number eight batter Mitchell Santner fought off West Indies’ momentum with a counterattacking fifty, cracking 55* runs from just 28 balls with eight fours and two sixes. Santner’s thunderous effort even entertained thoughts of an unlikely New Zealand victory, until West Indies bowlers held their nerves to pull off a narrow seven-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.