New Zealand v West Indies 2025/26: Hosts flattered by across-format convincing victory margins

New Zealand v West Indies in 2025/26

Twenty20 Internationals (5): New Zealand 3, West Indies 1
One-Day Internationals (3): New Zealand 3, West Indies 0
Test matches (3): New Zealand 2 (28pts), West Indies 0 (4pts)

The scorelines in all three formats flattered New Zealand, and underestimated the threat posed by the West Indians. The hosts deserved to win, but the main difference was essentially belief: New Zealand won the clutch moments, even after being forced to dig deep in selection. The visitors, meanwhile, struggled to seize opportunities, aside from a notable triumph in the first T20 international – their only victory of the trip.

Most of the white-ball matches were close. After losing the T20 opener by seven runs, New Zealand won the next two by three and nine. In the ODIs, they won by seven runs, then by five wickets and four wickets. The first Test – a purist’s delight – was drawn. Heading into the final session, New Zealand required four wickets and West Indies 132 from 33 overs in pursuit of a record target of 531 on a decent batting surface; they hung on for a meritorious draw.

New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy starred throughout, regardless of format. After 10 wickets at 12, and an economy-rate of 6.72, to earn the T20 series award, he conceded a miserly 4.68 an over in the ODIs, then won the series award in the Tests. He had previously won only one cap, in Zimbabwe in August, but a spate of injuries to other seamers in Christchurch and Wellington left him spearheading the attack. Duffy responded with 23 wickets at 15, with a five-for in each of the three Tests.

Another highlight was New Zealand’s leadership. White-ball captain Mitchell Santner had become a formidable all-round competitor, displaying flair with the bat and control with the ball: no game felt out of reach when he was involved. Red-ball captain Tom Latham also continued to blossom, and bravely chose to bat on a verdant strip at Mount Maunganui after insisting on the inclusion of a spinner. He also led by example – three centuries, and four partnerships that helped swing the series.

West Indies’ star was white-ball captain Shai Hope, who made a sprightly 53 to set up victory in the opening T20, and gave his side every chance in the second ODI with an unbeaten 69-ball 109. He then produced defiant knocks of 56 and 140 in the first Test at Christchurch, batting in iridescent sunglasses to mitigate an eye infection.

Whispers of Kane Williamson’s possible retirement swirled, but he said he would continue on a series-by-series basis, as he strove for a better a work–life balance. He admitted his appearances would become rarer, but Test duels against England, India and Australia remained an incentive, even at 35. He said his future did not depend on passing 10,000 Test runs, a feat no New Zealander has achieved. By the end of the year, he had 9,461, but said: “Whatever runs you get are not really yours – they’re for the team.”

West Indies’ touring party to New Zealand, 2025/26

*RL Chase (T/50/20), AS Athanaze (T/50/20), AWJ Auguste (50/20), JD Campbell (T/50), KU Carty (50), T Chanderpaul (T), MW Forde (50/20), JP Greaves (T/50), KAR Hodge (T), JO Holder (20), SD Hope (T/50/20), AJ Hosein (20), TA Imlach (T), AA Jangoo (50/20), BA King (T/20), J Layne (T/50), A Phillip (T), KA Pierre (50/20), R Powell (20), KAJ Roach (T), SE Rutherford (50/20), JNT Seales (T/50/20), R Shepherd (50/20), O Shields (T), SK Springer (50/20), JA Warrican (T). Coach: DJG. Sammy.

Hope captained in the white-ball games.

1st T20I At Auckland, November 5, 2025 (floodlit). West Indies won by seven runs. West Indies 164-6 (20 overs) (SD Hope 53, R Powell 33); New Zealand 157-9 (20 overs) (MJ Santner 55*; JNT Seales 3-32, RL Chase 3-26). PoM: RL Chase.

2nd T20I At Auckland, November 6, 2025 (floodlit). New Zealand won by three runs. New Zealand 207-5 (20 overs) (TB Robinson 39, MS Chapman 78); West Indies 204-8 (20 overs) (AS Athanaze 33, R Powell 45, R Shepherd 34; IS Sodhi 3-39, MJ Santner 3-31). PoM: MS Chapman.

3rd T20I At Nelson, November 9, 2025. New Zealand won by nine runs. New Zealand 177-9 (20 overs) (DP Conway 56, DJ Mitchell 41); West Indies 168 (19.5 overs) (AS Athanaze 31, R Shepherd 49, SK Springer 39; JA Duffy 3-36, IS Sodhi 3-34). PoM: IS Sodhi.

4th T20I At Nelson, November 10, 2025. No result. West Indies 38-1 (6.3 overs) v New Zealand.

5th T20I At Dunedin, November 13, 2025. New Zealand won by eight wickets. West Indies 140 (18.4 overs) (RL Chase 38, R Shepherd 36; JA Duffy 4-35); New Zealand 141-2 (15.4 overs) (TB Robinson 45, DP Conway 47*). PoM: JA Duffy. PoS: JA Duffy.

1st ODI At Christchurch, November 16, 2025 (day/night). New Zealand won by seven runs. New Zealand 269-7 (50 overs) (DP Conway 49, DJ Mitchell 119, MG Bracewell 35; JNT Seales 3-41); West Indies 262-6 (50 overs) (KU Carty 32, SD Hope 37, SE Rutherford 55, JP Greaves 38*; KA Jamieson 3-52). PoM: DJ Mitchell. ODI debut: SK Springer (West Indies).

2nd ODI At Napier, November 19, 2025 (day/night). New Zealand won by five wickets. West Indies 247-9 (34 overs) (SD Hope 109*; KA Jamieson 3-44, NG Smith 4-42); New Zealand 248-5 (33.3 overs) (DP Conway 90, R Ravindra 56, TWM Latham 39*, MJ Santner 34*). PoM: SD Hope.

3rd ODI At Hamilton, November 22, 2025 (day/night). New Zealand won by four wickets. West Indies 161 (36.2 overs) (RL Chase 38; MJ Henry 4-43); New Zealand 162-6 (30.3 overs) (MS Chapman 64, MG Bracewell 40*). PoM: MJ Henry. PoS: KA Jamieson.

First Test at Christchurch, December 2-6, 2025

Drawn. New Zealand 4pts. West Indies 4pts. Toss: West Indies. Test debut: O Shields.

The build-up to West Indies’ second innings produced the imponderables that can make Test cricket a compelling and humbling pursuit: “It’ll be over in four days”; “The tourists will fold”; “Latham should have declared earlier.” But the occasion defied convention, as the sides tussled to a hard-fought draw.

Who could have predicted that a team dismissed for 167 in the first innings, admittedly in grim batting conditions, with Duffy taking five wickets, would now come within sight of hauling in 531, especially after slipping to 72-4? But Hope compiled a century, then Greaves and Roach made career-bests. Hope and Greaves put on 196, the highest for the fifth wicket in this fixture, before New Zealand tried something different. Duffy came around the wicket to Hope who, with his first false shot, edged an attempted hook to stand-in wicketkeeper Latham – one of seven catches while deputising for Blundell, who had tweaked a hamstring.

Seamers Henry and Smith also joined the injured list, and their absence helped enable an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 180 between Greaves and Roach, another record in the fixture. Defiance led to confidence: the scoring accelerated, and West Indies began the final session needing 132 from 33 overs with four wickets left. Greaves presented straight-bat orthodoxy on his way to a maiden double-century in 384 balls, but Roach rode his luck to reach his first fifty, in his 86th Test. On 30, he offered a chance to Foulkes, diving to his left at square leg; on 35, he escaped a run-out when Tickner missed from close range at mid-on; and on 45, he bisected Tickner at deep mid-off and Phillips at deep mid-on with a skyer. Phillips called for it, but Tickner got his hands to the ball first, and the chance went begging. Roach then spent an hour and a half on 53.

Three wasted reviews further scuppered New Zealand’s chances. Those errors, including an lbw appeal by Bracewell against Roach after the ball pitched outside leg from round the wicket, meant a subsequent plumb shout and a caught-behind appeal could not be overturned. Phantom catches and pantomime howzats contributed further drama.

West Indies’ two centurions had already influenced the match. Greaves had dragged his side back into the contest on the opening day, after Latham and Williamson – bowled on 33 by a no-ball from debutant seamer Ojay Shields – added 93 for the second wicket against a five-prong pace attack on a greentop under overcast skies. Greaves’s busy action, levers working like pistons, made the breakthrough, squaring up Williamson, who edged to first slip for 52. Ten balls later, pitching in a similar spot, Greaves had Latham caught behind for 24. In the precious moments when music wasn’t blaring from the tannoy, the crowd could hear the enthusiasm surging among the tourists.

Replying to New Zealand’s 231, Hope offered another morale boost with 56. Watchful, and playing late under his eyes, he looked vulnerable tucked up by short-of-a-length deliveries, but drove strongly off the front foot. The pacemen pitched a lot just outside off early on, allowing Hope to stockpile dots in the interests of the team cause. But other than Chanderpaul’s 52, no one else passed 14, and West Indies trailed by 64.

Latham contributed to another important partnership in New Zealand’s second innings, 279 for the third wicket with Ravindra, one more record between these teams. When Latham brought up his first century in 40 Test innings, his response was more expressive than usual: a celebratory third run by the length of a pitch beyond the main strip, before removing his helmet and raising both arms in triumph towards the pavilion.

Ravindra went on to a fluent 176, confirmation of his talent after offering chances on eight and 13. Latham’s declaration at 466 set what looked a conservative target, but staunch West Indian resistance proved otherwise.

Player of the Match: JP Greaves.

Second Test at Wellington, December 10-12, 2025

New Zealand won by nine wickets. New Zealand 12pts. Toss: New Zealand. Test debuts: MJ Hay, MD Rae.

It was perhaps appropriate that the New Zealanders’ stretch limousine broke down en route to the summit of Wellington’s Mount Victoria. The tradition of the team’s bowlers and wicketkeeper making the journey after Basin Reserve Test wins had been initiated by Dion Nash and Simon Doull after the 1998/99 victory over India. But this year’s passengers, mostly rookies, had earned the right in response to a casualty department that resembled an episode of M*A*S*H: Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke and Ben Sears were in rehabilitation, and Matt Henry, Nathan Smith and Tom Blundell under repair. It meant the pace attack – Duffy, Foulkes, Tickner and debutant Michael Rae – had just seven caps between them when they arrived at a ground decorated by crimson Christmas blooms.

The situation worsened when Tickner dislocated his left shoulder diving on the boundary in West Indies’ first innings, having enjoyed his best day as a Test cricketer, with 4-32 from 16 overs. After winning two lbw shouts in quick succession against the recalled duo of King and Hodge, he broke a fourth-wicket stand of 60 when Hope gloved a short ball on 47, before Chase chopped on. Tickner’s contribution was important, as Duffy and Foulkes looked short of a gallop after toiling through 76 overs between them in the second innings at Christchurch.

Rae began with a couple of loose overs, but later flourished. Each time he powered to the crease, he wafted his right forearm and wrist away, as if holding a wand and preparing a magic trick. In all, he took 6-111. By the end, he was striding in, his Dennis Lillee action in full flow, and whispers emerging of a fledgling fan club.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Mitch Hay’s debut produced 61 runs, three catches and a run-out. His first catch had helped Rae remove Greaves with a regulation edge. Later, he played the percentages from No.6, with authoritative drives, forceful pulls and one instinctive hook off Seales, the ball last seen scarpering along Cambridge Terrace. The innings ended when Shields tempted him into another hook, which nestled in Roach’s hands at long leg beneath the Don Neely scoreboard. Roach’s reaction meant a delay in joining team-mates to celebrate: he instinctively popped the ball down, and signed some autographs.

Duffy responded with 5-38 in the second innings, which earned him the match award. He brought muscle rather than whip through the crease, and described himself, tongue wedged in cheek, as “The Enforcer”. No one would have doubted his capacity to dispel riff-raff on a nightclub door. West Indies felt the full brunt. An opening stand of 66 between Campbell and King had shown promise on the bowler-friendly first morning, only for the team to slump to 205 all out before stumps. Their second-innings 128 was even more of a procession. A bright spot was restricting New Zealand’s first innings to 278, which included a candidate for delivery of the match, when Phillip summoned a legcutter to clip the off bail while Williamson executed an apparently textbook back-foot defensive shot.

Player of the Match: JA Duffy.

Third Test at Mount Maunganui, December 18-22, 2025

New Zealand won by 323 runs. New Zealand 12pts. Toss: New Zealand.

On the first morning, Latham and Rob Walter, New Zealand’s captain and coach, scrutinised the pitch like art historians discovering Banksy had struck overnight. They decided slow left-armer Patel should play instead of another seamer, effectively committing themselves to batting first if they won the toss. The last time New Zealand had taken such a route to a home victory had been against England at Hamilton in 2007/08. Now, the call was based on local testimony, and evidence from a solitary Plunket Shield match earlier in the summer, when 20 of the 31 wickets had fallen to spin.

Patel justified the call with match figures of 6-136 from 73 overs, his first wickets at home after 85 away (he had played three previous Tests in New Zealand). His secondinnings return of 32-21-23-3 straitjacketed the West Indians as the pitch broke up on the final day, and New Zealand eased to a 2-0 win.

He was afforded that luxury because Latham and Conway had amassed 323 on the first day, New Zealand’s second-highest opening partnership, behind the 387 – also against West Indies – by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis in Guyana in 1971/72. It was the highest
stand between two left-handers in Tests, edging out 322 between Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams for West Indies’ fifth wicket against Australia at Kingston in 1998/99. Latham shouldered arms judiciously, dabbed singles into the off side, and worked the ball off his hips and legs to wear the tourists down. Conway was more aggressive, particularly through the covers. A solitary blemish came when Latham had 104: fishing outside off against Phillip, he edged to Imlach, who dropped it.

Conway went on to 227 – his seventh Test century and second double, after 200 on debut against England at Lord’s in 2021 – and batted nearly eight and a half hours. Latham declared at 575-8 in the final session on the second day, but the West Indian openers were equally untroubled at first: despite spending 155 overs in the field, Campbell and King displayed flair and finesse.

On the third day, Hodge added further stability with his second Test century, but Duffy’s hard work had already paid dividends: he removed both openers, as New Zealand wore down weakened opponents, with Hope dropping to No.9 because of food poisoning. Batting remained manageable, as the footmarks outside both off stumps were a work in progress – but they would later broaden into those of a sasquatch. Bowling and fielding were less appealing, westerly winds gusting across the salt mountain. Like the seagulls darting about the ground hunting rogue chips, wickets needed seizing when they were offered, and West Indies eventually reached 420.

Armed with a lead of 155, Latham and Conway carried on where they had left off. This time they added 192, only New Zealand’s second instance of a century opening partnership in both innings of a Test. The first had featured Rod Latham, Tom’s father, and Mark Greatbatch against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 1992/93.

Conway and Latham became the sixth and seventh New Zealanders to score a hundred in both innings of a Test; they were also the first opening pair from the same side to make centuries in both innings of any first-class match. And they did it all without compromising the team’s direction. More unselfish batting from Ravindra and Williamson, who raised the run-rate close to six an over, enabled a declaration at 306-2.

The tired visitors were set 462, but there was to be no Christchurch-type resistance: balls were now behaving like a fair-ground game of whack-a-mole. No one could be certain how, when or where the ball would pop out of the burgeoning rough, especially when Patel bowled from the City End. Campbell and King shared another handy opening stand, but both fell at 87, and the journey to the West Indian dressing-room became a turnstile of woe. They collapsed to 138, Duffy wrapping up the innings with 5-42, his third five-for in the three Tests. The margin of victory was 323 runs, the same as Latham and Conway’s big stand on the first day.

Player of the Match: DP Conway. Player of the Series: JA Duffy.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.