Windies' miseries on a largely forgettable tour of New Zealand showed no signs of abating as another insipid batting display condemned them to 47-run defeat in the T20I series opener at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. The visitors were left searching for the mojo that has seen them bag the World T20 title as a Williamson-less New Zealand helped themselves to 187 on the board backed up by a fine all-round bowling performance to bowl Windies out in 19 overs.
The defining momentum shift in the contest, one that saw Windies compete well with the ball for most parts, arrived in the final over of New Zealand's innings. Having pulled things back admirably after fifties from Glenn Phillips and Colin Munro, Windies conceded 25 off the final over with designated death bowler Keserick Williams bowling three no-balls as Mitchell Santner (23* off 11) carried his team's total from barely-par to highly competitive.
Even then, on a feather bed of a pitch, Windies possessed the batting muscle to hunt down 188. Seth Rance, one of New Zealand's two T20I debutants on the day, was on a hat-trick as early as the third over of the chase, after removing Chris Gayle and Chadwick Walton off successive deliveries with key contributions from his fielders. Keeper Phillips sprinted backwards to chase down a top-edged offering from Gayle and completed the catch with a full-length dive. The other debutant, Anaru Kitchen, then took a sharp catch at extra cover to send back Walton.
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