New Zealand vs West Indies 5th ODI Full Commentary

Welcome back for the chase. The umpires and the players are out in the middle. Ackeem Auguste and Justin Greaves open up for West Indies. Jacob Duffy has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

In a special ceremony, Cricket West Indies paid tribute to Kemar Roach after he reached the historic milestone of capturing 300 Test wickets.

The fightback - Latham provided a brief late-overs spark, taking Jayden Seales for 14 runs in the 44th over to push the total upward. But the hosts' bowling attack roared back brilliantly in the death overs, removing both Latham and Mitchell Santner in quick succession to completely plug the boundary flow. New Zealand ultimately fizzled out to finish on 268, a total that feels a bit short given their platform, setting up a thrilling second half where dew could play a massive role during the chase.

New Zealand did well in the middle overs - Young brought up a hard-fought half-century, surviving a bizarre run-out scare along the way, before eventually falling to Lawes while attempting a reverse sweep. Nick Kelly then assumed the anchor role, teaming up with skipper Tom Latham to keep the scoreboard moving nicely through the middle phase. However, just as their 50-run partnership promised a grand launchpad and Kelly tried to raise the tempo, the Windies struck back with quick wickets to keep the visitors from breaking away.

New Zealand end their innings at 268/9 - The BlackCaps faced a tough test right from the start as the West Indies pacers extracted sharp bounce and movement off a tricky pitch. Matthew Forde made an early breakthrough by knocking over Henry Nicholls, but Will Young and Nick Kelly showed great resolve against a testing opening spell. As the ball softened and spin was introduced through Vitel Lawes, the duo adapted cleverly, rotating the strike consistently and building a solid foundation to guide New Zealand through the early storm.

Jacob Duffy is the new batter.

New Zealand secure series victory - New Zealand clinch the 5-match ODI series 3-2 after a highly competitive campaign in the Caribbean, even though the West Indies claimed ultimate bragging rights by winning a thrilling fifth and final match. While Shai Hope's men will take immense confidence from their resilient, match-winning run chase to finish on a high note, it is Mitchell Santner's NZ who fly home with the silverware. Thank you for joining us. Cheers!

New Zealand captain - Mitchell Santner reflects on yet another great, closely contested game in what has been a highly competitive series. While acknowledging that his team fell just short of a victory today, Santner praises his bowlers for fighting back valiantly to drag the match deep. He explains that recent squad rotation is a natural result of their dense playing schedule, leaving the team in a strong position to build depth. Noting that West Indies pitches are slower than the decks back home, he points out that winning the toss is crucial in these conditions, though he smiles at the welcome sight of plenty of turn. Santner lauds the impact of Lennox, noting his long-term domestic success in New Zealand and his clear role of attacking the stumps, while also praising Gudakesh Motie for an outstanding series performance.

West Indies captain - Shai Hope highlights the fighting spirit his team displayed throughout the series, while identifying a pressing need for much greater consistency, a quality he notes has been missing in recent campaigns. He urges his squad to put together a complete game by pointing back to missed opportunities during the matches in Guyana. Looking back at his own recent performances, he points out that a costly dropped catch in the previous game and his own lack of runs were critical moments where they let the opposition off the hook.

POTS - Jayden Lennox wins the Player Of The Series. Jayden Lennox took 11 wickets in the series. Lennox expresses deep enjoyment in playing on spin-friendly pitches, noting that the entire tour serves as an excellent learning experience. Jayden Lennox highlights the value of studying the craft of left-arm orthodox bowling from teammate Mitchell Santner, who has executed it successfully for a long time. While he feels there is no single magical secret to his recent success, he considers himself fortunate to perform well.

POTM - Shimron Hetmyer wins the Player Of The Match award for his knock of 69 off 64 balls. Shimron Hetmyer expresses immense satisfaction, emphasizing that personal milestones like scoring a half-century were completely out of his mind. Shimron reveals that the team's continuous strategy was simply to stay at the crease and wait for deliveries in their hitting zones without overthinking. He credits their success to calculated shot selection and a crucial middle-order partnership, during which he advised his incoming partner to just focus on the ball.

Presentation ...

Earlier - New Zealand's batting innings promised a commanding total but ultimately crumbled late as the West Indies bowlers staged a disciplined comeback in the final ten overs. On a challenging, lively wicket that offered significant swing, seam, and unpredictable bounce early on, Kiwi openers Henry Nicholls and Will Young fought hard before Matthew Forde broke the opening stand. Young anchored the innings with a steady half-century before falling to spinner Vitel Lawes, while Nick Kelly held the middle order together with a resilient knock. Tom Latham later provided a brief spark of acceleration, taking 14 runs off a single Jayden Seales over to put the BlackCaps back in control. However, the West Indies pacers turned the tide by removing both Santner and Latham in quick succession, triggering a late-innings collapse finishing on 268.

Kiwi bowlers Fought hard - While New Zealand’s bowling unit struggled with consistency throughout the innings, they showed immense grit to drag a seemingly lost game into the 48th over. Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox was the standout performer, picking up three wickets while choking the runs at an economy rate of under 4 per over. In contrast, senior pacer Jacob Duffy also claimed three scalps but proved expensive, leaking over 8 runs an over, while Nathan Smith and Michael Bracewell chipped in with a wicket apiece in a losing cause.

Middle-order resilience - A solid 95-run partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford decided the game, as they counter-attacked to bring the hosts within striking distance of the target. However, New Zealand's bowlers refused to surrender, triggering a dramatic late-order collapse that saw the West Indies slide from a commanding 239 for 5 to a shaky 248 for 8. With the pressure mounting, Hetmyer took charge, clearing the boundary ropes a few times in the dying stages of the match to safely guide his side across the finish line.

Explosive start sets the foundation - West Indies launched their chase of 269 with an aggressive, front-foot approach as openers Ackeem Auguste and Justin Greaves put on a flying 57-run stand inside the first six overs. Although both openers were dismissed in quick succession, Shai Hope and Keacy Carty showed great maturity to steady the ship, halting a potential collapse with a patient 59-run partnership off 99 balls. Just as the West Indies looked comfortably in control, New Zealand struck back by removing both set batters in rapid succession, swinging the momentum back to the bowling side.

In the last 14 balls, WI have scored 17 runs and lost 3 wickets.