Day 1: New Zealand 231 for 9 (Williamson 52, Bracewell 47, Shields 2-34)
The West Indies bowlers delivered an all-round effort to restrict New Zealand to 231 for 9 at stumps on Day 1 of the first Test in Christchurch. The visitors had to contend with two rain interruptions in the morning session before finding their rhythm and snatching the upper hand as bad light ended play early on Tuesday.
Returning veteran Kemar Roach (2-47) had opener Devon Conway caught in the slips for a duck on the third ball of the Test. Only 10.3 overs were possible before a second rain delay forced lunch with New Zealand at 17 for 1. The hosts must have been happy for the break with the ball nipping around in overcast conditions.
West Indies 213 all out (Fontaine 39, Bryan 36, French 3-21) beat England 154 all out (Falconer 52, Moores 37, Racha 4-21) by 59 runs
The West Indies closed out their Men’s Under-19 series against England with a 59-run victory in the final Youth One-Day International at Grenada’s National Cricket Stadium on Monday. The win handed the Caribbean side an impressive 5-2 series triumph.
West Indies made several changes to their playing eleven following Saturday’s series-sealing victory. Among the changes was the inclusion of openers Earsinho Fontaine (39) and Tyriek Bryan (36), the pair who began the series. They returned to share in a 77-run first-wicket stand, leading the Caribbean batters, before the hosts were dismissed for 213 in 49.2 overs.
Wicket-keeper Shamar Apple chipped in with 31 against figures of 3 for 21 from England’s Alex French. There were two wickets apiece from Ralphie Albert (2-35) and Farhan Ahmed (2-37).
The West Indies haven’t had a Test win against New Zealand in New Zealand in 30 years. Not since a drawn first match and an innings-and-322-run victory in the second handed them a 1-0 series win in 1995. Ahead of Monday evening’s start to their latest clash, Captain Roston Chase is desperate for a change in fortunes, hoping it will place his team on “the good side of history” at the end of the contest.
“[Winning] would mean a lot,” Chase said on the eve of the first Test. “We haven't won here (New Zealand) in a very long time. We don't want to be on the bad side of history all the time.”
The West Indies come into the series having lost all five of their games in the current 2025-27 cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. Meanwhile, this will be the first contest of the cycle for the former champions.
Beneath the determined optimism from the Windies skipper is the resignation that his team starts as justified underdogs. As a result, they have a lower starting point than the Kiwis.
