Confident Windies won’t underestimate injury-hit New Zealand 

It took a 180-run, 68.1-over partnership from the seventh-wicket pairing in what was the second-highest fourth-innings team total (457 for 6) while chasing against New Zealand to earn the West Indies their first points of this ICC World Test Championship cycle. 

Ahead of Tuesday evening's second contest in Wellington, Windies captain Roston Chase is convinced his team can press for a series lead. 

[We’re] full of confidence and energy to prove that we can actually go a step further in winning the game,” Chase said.

Justin Greaves’ unbeaten 202, 140 from Shai Hope, and Kemar Roach’s 58* meant the Caribbean side occupied the crease for 163.3 overs in the second innings. For a side that had lost five straight prior to the Christchurch Test, Chase says such displays will only serve to lift the team’s spirits. 

“I think that [performance is] going to give us a lot of confidence going forward in the series, knowing that we can actually compete and come close [to winning],” he said. “So, the guys' spirits are high, and [they] are very believing right now.”

A better first-innings display with the bat might well have seen the West Indies walking away with the spoils. However, a limp 167 was all they could manage, and Chase is hoping to avoid a repeat. 

“We think that once we can get a decent total in the first innings, it will put us closer to the point of getting to win a match,” he said. “We need to shut down that lead early, and then once we put the New Zealand batsmen under pressure in the second innings, we'll be fine.”

While the West Indies enter the Test relatively settled and with a mindset just to ‘go one better,’ New Zealand have been cornered into injury-forced changes. Wicket-keeper Tom Blundell is out of the upcoming Test, while seamers Matt Henry and Nathan Smith are set to miss the remainder of the series.

Still, the Windies captain understands the threat posed by the second-string Kiwi attack.

“Well, you can't underestimate anyone at this level because it's international cricket, and anyone who gets here has to have a [certain] level of skill,” Chase said. “But what I would say (to the rest of the team) is to just play what you see. Play every ball on its merit. It doesn't matter who the bowler is.”

The second Test bowls off at the Basin Reserve later this evening from 6 PM Eastern Caribbean Time, 5 PM in Jamaica.