Thu Nov 6 ’25
New Zealand leveled the T20 series 1–1but West Indies stayed in contention before falling just short. After winning the toss and bowling, WI’s seamers and Roston Chase kept an eye on things early. Matthew Forde bowled Devon Conway and Romario Shepherd removed Tim Robinson, before a burst from Mark Chapman’s pushed NZ to 207/5. Chase was the star with 2/33, while Jayden Seales and Shepherd scored around the edges.
The chase stuttered to 94/6 as spin cut through the middle overs, but then Rovman Powell detonated a counter-attack: 45 off 16 balls with towering sixes down the leg side. Romario Shepherd (34 off 16) matched the pace and Matthew Forde (29* off 13) kept the pressure on, taking the equation from dead and buried to very feasible.
But with West Indies needing 16 off the last over and one clean stroke from squeezing it, Kyle Jamieson’s variations proved just enough as WI finished at 204/8, just three runs short. Powell’s surge, Shepherd’s clean striking and Forde’s composed finish underlined the depth of WI’s lower power, even on a tough night for the top six.
With the series level after two tight finishes at Eden Park, the big positive for WI is how often their bowlers and finishers have kept them in winning positions – momentum they will want to carry into the decider on Saturday.
#CaribbeanCricket.com #independent #voice #West #Indian #cricket