Santner spins NZ to tight win
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner snared three wickets from four overs as the Black Caps sneaked past the West Indies by 13 runs in their rain-affected T20 series opener in Kingston.
Having lost the toss and been asked to bat first, New Zealand put on an imposing 185-5 at Sabina Park after a fluid 43 off 29 balls from returning opener Devon Conway and powerful late hitting from Jimmy Neesham (33no off 15), who plundered 19 runs off the final over.
Southee removed Kyle Mayers in the second over of the West Indies’ innings, and the result never looked in serious doubt as a steady stream of wickets fell.
Santner claimed the key scalps of home skipper Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and dangerman Shamarh Brooks, while fellow tweaker Ish Sodhi accounted for Rovman Powell as the spinners came to the fore on a pitch that offered plenty of turn.
A day after the shock announcement that he had asked to be released from his New Zealand Cricket central contract, Trent Boult returned to the side but proved expensive, conceding two boundaries on his first over in he finished with figures of 1-36.
A spirited partnership from tailenders Romario Shepherd (31 off 16) and Odean Smith (27 from 12) brought some excitement and the West Indies closer on the scoreboard, but it was too little, too late for the hosts.
After being inserted under grey skies, the Black Caps got off to a flier when Conway sent the final ball of Kyle Mayers’ opening over for six with an elegant lofted drive over cover.
The left-hander added five more boundaries in a classy 62-run opening stand with Martin Guptill that seemingly put the visitors in the driving seat after seven overs.
But just when it appeared Conway and Guptill were poised to lead the Black Caps to a huge total, the pair both fell in the space of two balls.
Guptill went first, when Hetmyer took a spectacular onehanded grab right on the boundary rope to bring his innings of 16 off 17 balls to an end.
Conway followed on the very next delivery when he gloved an Odean Smith bouncer behind, wicketkeeper Devon Thomas taking a smart catch.
That brought Williamson and Glenn Phillips to the crease, who after seeing off Smith’s hattrick ball, proceeded to rebuild the innings with 31 runs off 22 balls until heavy rain halted the match in the 11th over with New Zealand well set at 95-2.
Following a near-two hour delay, play eventually resumed under late afternoon sun. The West Indies made a breakthrough just four balls after the break, Phillips top-edging a Jason Holder delivery to short fine leg to leave New Zealand 98-3.
Daryl Mitchell was the next batter in the middle and alongside Williamson helped steer the Black Caps past the 100-mark as some crafty bowling from the home side put the brakes on and restricted them to singles.
However, when a rusty Williamson was dropped on 23 by Mayers and shortly after survived an lbw appeal, the skipper suddenly sprang into life, hitting four boundaries off his next five balls, including two sixes.
Mitchell got in on the act with another maximum over long on, only to nick one behind next ball, an on-field decision upheld following a review.
Williamson’s luck ran out shortly after as he fell for 47 when Hayden Walsh Jr took a superb diving catch on the boundary.
The momentum seemed to have swung back in the West Indies favour, until Neesham’s belligerent cameo got the Black Caps up to an imposing 185-5 that proved too much for the hosts to chase down.