Hope’s Heroics Overshadowed as New Zealand Snatch a Thriller
What a roller-coaster this match turned out to be. If you were following the West Indies vs New Zealand ODI in Napier, you’d know it felt like cricket chaos wrapped in drama from the very first delay. Rain chopped the game down to a 34-over contest, and both teams were left waiting for nearly three hours before play finally began. But once it did, Shai Hope walked out and absolutely lit up McLean Park.
Hope’s century was the kind of innings that demands attention—109 off just 69 balls, played with total command, as if the interruptions and pressure had never existed. Yet despite every bit of brilliance he brought, the match slipped away, stolen in the dying moments by Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner, who mounted a counterattack that flipped the script entirely.
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The West Indies innings actually began in shambles. Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry were ruthless with the new ball, choking the scoring and forcing mistakes. John Campbell fell early for four, Keacy Carty followed for seven, and suddenly the scoreboard showed 15 for two. Then Hope walked in, and the energy changed immediately. He cracked two boundaries off Blair Tickner to settle himself, but the collapse around him continued—Ackeem Auguste, Sherfane Rutherford, and Roston Chase all departed cheaply, leaving West Indies wobbling at 86 for five.
What followed was a masterclass in rebuilding under pressure. Hope stitched together smart, steady partnerships—44 with Justin Greaves, 47 with Romario Shepherd, and another 43 with Matthew Forde. Once he crossed his fifty from 42 balls, he shifted gears and never looked back. Boundaries sprayed around the ground; he took on Henry, Tickner, Jamieson—anyone who dared. A towering straight six brought up his 19th ODI hundred, drawing him level with Brian Lara and making him the second-fastest West Indian ever to reach 6,000 runs. Nathan Smith and Jamieson did their best at the death, finishing with four and three wickets respectively, but Hope had already dragged the score to a competitive 247 for nine.
But New Zealand started their chase with the kind of calm confidence that often wins shortened games. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra powered through a 106-run opening stand. Ravindra’s 56 off 46 was full of clean hitting, while Conway looked destined for a century before falling on 90. A mini-collapse gave West Indies a glimmer of hope—Young gone, Chapman gone, Conway chopped for 90—but the pressure still lingered.
Then came Santner. With 40 needed from the last 18 balls, he launched a ruthless counterattack, hammering Forde and Springer to turn the game on its head. And with eight required from the final over, Tom Latham calmly finished the job—helped by a high full toss that flew past the keeper for four and earned a no-ball. His unbeaten 39 sealed the chase at 248 for five, giving New Zealand the series with a game to spare.
A brilliant match, a heroic century, and a finish that will sting for a while. The final ODI now becomes all about pride.
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