Thatβs all from us! The series had its fair share of excitement, with the first three games going right down to the wire, but it all concluded with a one-sided affair today. New Zealand proved too strong in the decider, clinching the series 3-1 in commanding fashion.
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Manan Mehta who, along with scorer/analyst Raju Khariya & statistician Aman brought all the updates of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. BYE BYEπ
Mitchell Santner collects the trophy and then joins his teammates for the customary photographs behind the βWinnersβ Board. A fitting end to a superb series for the Black Caps.
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand Captain): "I think we knew that there will be something for the seamers in the wickets. We managed to pick early wickets with the ball and the guys with the bat were really professional.
Powerplay wickets were massive with the ball for us in this series. It's a small ground but getting 200-220 is never easy also. We managed to restrict them to a low total and I am really proud of the boys."
Shai Hope (West Indies Captain): "Yes and no about the intent. Some good bowling was there, and we couldn't settle early. The aggressive approach did not work out for us today. But we need to take the positives out of this and give credit to the opposition.
It is a place where preparation is key. We did not get enough preparation for the series. Not an excuse but it is difficult for the young guys to adjust as conditions back home are very different.
We will take learnings from this series for the ODI series. The batters need to get better starts to help the lower order. Our bowlers luckily have been bowling well throughout."
Jacob Duffy (POTM & POTS): "It was a beautiful day here in Dunedin. It's an awesome ground and also a great wicket. We knew that there will be some assistance for the bowlers and I enjoyed a lot.
We wanted to be clinical today as it was the last chance for us to impress here at home before the World Cup. We had to do our job for the country and we are happy to end the series with a win.
I guess in a T20 game, getting wickets in the powerplay is really important. I had a memorable series and really happy to pick wickets inside the powerplay.
Yeah, they have a great line-up. It has power right down to Number 10 and it was challenging for us. I liked that a lot and enjoyed bowling against them. I am sure the crowd enjoyed that too."
Player of the Match & Player of the Series: Jacob Duffy
New Zealand's Impressive Unbeaten Record at University Oval In All Formats:
Tests:
Matches Played: 8
Won: 3
Drawn: 5
ODIs:
Matches Played: 10
Won: 10
T20Is:
Matches Played: 5
Won: 5
Most T20I Wins at a Venue Without a Defeat (For Full-Member Nations)
8 - New Zealand at Harare Sports Club
6 - Afghanistan at RGS, Dehradun
6 - India at The Village, Dublin
5 - Australia at Eden Park, Auckland
5 - India at Kingsmead, Durban
5* - New Zealand at University Oval, Dunedin
8:48 AM IST and 4:18 PM Local Time: The West Indies just didn't show up today! They were there and there about right through the series but when it came to a day when they needed a win to level the series, they put up a poor show!
They were sent into bat by Mitch Santner and the men in maroon were all over the place! They got 12 off the first over with some shots but post that misery broke out. Kyle Jamieson cleaned up Alick Athanaze early and Jacob Duffy in his second over got rid of Shai Hope, Ackeem Auguste and Sherfane Rutherford. West Indies were struggling at 21/4.
Rovman Powell too after the powerplay hit one straight to the fielder and the score was a scary one at 48/5. That is when Roston Chase and Romario Shepherd brought some calm. They built a 42-run partnership but then Chase got undone with a slower ball. The visitors were down to 94/8 in no time. Some shots at the back end from Shepherd and Shamar Springer got the score to 140 before the visitors were bowled out!
Duffy ended with figures of 4/35. All the other bowlers shared a wicket each. It was the lowest total by a visiting team in Dunedin and just shows how below par the West Indies were today!
New Zealand came out all guns blazing. Yes, there were a few plays and misses but Devon Conway and Tim Robinson got a few away early on. Robinson in particular played very aggressively. His battle with Seales was one to savor.
Eventually the introduction of Shepherd into the attack brought about his end but his 45(24) put New Zealand in the driver's seat. Conway slowed down but Robinson's attack early on allowed the pace reduction. He and Rachin Ravindra stitched a decent partnership before Shamar Springer got rid of Ravindra for 21.
Mark Chapman in his 100th T20I survived a first ball scare as he overturned the umpire's decision. Post that Conway picked up speed and Chapman too sent a couple into the stands to put an official end of the match. New Zealand breezed through to the target in just 16 overs.
They have won the series 3-1 and finally have done well in a T20I series at home after tough losses to Australia and England. For West Indies. They were up for the fight in the first three games but just fell apart today.