Tag: New Zealand

AUCKLAND: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has named seasoned batter Kane Williamson in the 14-man Test squad on Monday to face the West Indies in a three-match series next month.

The 35-year-old former captain, New Zealand’s record Test run scorer, retired from T20 internationals earlier this year and sat out the two-Test series away to Zimbabwe in July-August.

“Kane’s ability on the field speaks for itself, and it will be great to have his skills as well as his leadership back in the Test group,” head coach Rob Walter said.

All-rounder Daryl Mitchell was included and is expected to be fit after suffering a minor groin injury in the first ODI against the West Indies eight days ago.

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Pace bowler Zak Foulkes, who made his debut in the second Test against Zimbabwe with match figures of 9-75, is included in the pace attack with Jacob Duffy, who won his first Test cap in the same match.

Blair Tickner returns to the Test side for the first time since 2023, following back-to-back player of the match performances in the recent one-day international series against England.

The first Test begins in Christchurch on December 2. The series moves on to Wellington on December 10 with the final Test at Mount Maunganui on December 18.

New Zealand squad for West Indies Tests

Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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Captain Mitchell Santner delivered late fireworks with the bat as New Zealand beat the West Indies by five wickets in the second one-day international on Wednesday to win the series.

Santner smashed 34 not out off 15 balls to carry the hosts home at 248-5 with three deliveries to spare after the tourists posted 247-9.

The match at Napier’s McLean Park was reduced by rain to 34 overs each after a three-hour wait to start.

West Indies captain Shai Hope unfurled a brilliant 109 off 69 balls to give them a chance of squaring the three-match series after the hosts won the opener by seven runs in Christchurch on Sunday.

But some wayward late bowling opened the door for New Zealand, who have now won 11 successive ODI bilateral series at home dating back to 2019.

The result was hanging in the balance with three overs remaining, when the home side still required 40 runs to win.

Santner then struck the otherwise impressive seamer Matthew Forde for two fours and a six in successive balls.

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He swatted a six and four from the following over bowled by Shamar Springer to swing the advantage firmly to New Zealand.

Seasoned all-rounder Santner sealed victory with a cover drive off Jayden Seales and said he always felt the target could be hauled in.

“I thought 247 was a good score. They batted really well, but it’s one of those grounds where, if you get a good start, you can cash in at the back end,” he said.

Tom Latham was left not out on 39 while the chase was set up nicely by half-centuries to Devon Conway (90) and Rachin Ravindra (56) before New Zealand lost momentum through the middle stages.

Earlier, Hope produced his 19th ton in the format, finishing with 13 fours and four sixes as he became the seventh West Indies player to go past 6,000 ODI runs.

He is the second fastest to reach the milestone — in 147 matches — behind Viv Richards.

The tourists pummelled 111 off the last nine overs, with lower-order batter Justin Greaves, Romario Shepherd, and Forde all passing 20 to provide support for Hope.

Nathan Smith bagged late wickets for New Zealand to record career-best figures of 4-42 while fellow seamer Kyle Jamieson took 3-44.

The final ODI will be played in Hamilton on Saturday.

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New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell could miss the remainder of the ongoing ODI series against West Indies after sustaining a groin strain during his match-winning century in Christchurch.

Mitchell’s brilliant 119 off 118 balls helped New Zealand edge the visitors by just seven runs in the series opener, but the injury now casts doubt on his availability for the rest of the series.

Mitchell will remain in Christchurch to undergo scans to determine the severity of the strain, while left-hander Henry Nicholls has been called up for the second ODI in Napier on Wednesday.

Nicholls, who last featured in an ODI in April, has been in outstanding domestic form this season, topping the Ford Trophy run charts with 306 runs at an average of 76.50, including back-to-back centuries against Otago and Auckland.

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Mark Chapman also remains as the other spare batter in the squad, boasting an impressive 101.33 average from four ODIs this year.

Notably, New Zealand’s squad is already dealing with multiple injuries, with Mohammad Abbas (ribs), Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Ben Sears (hamstring) all sidelined.

Kane Williamson, who recently battled a minor groin issue against England, was rested from the ODI series to focus on preparations for New Zealand’s upcoming Test matches against West Indies.

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DUNEDIN: Jacob Duffy took 4-35 as New Zealand romped to a crushing eight-wicket win in the fifth T20 international (T20I) against the West Indies on Thursday to seal a 3-1 series victory at University Oval on Thursday.

Seamer Duffy removed three batters with the new ball as the West Indies collapsed to 21-4 before recovering from 48-5 to be all out for 140 in 18.4 overs.

New Zealand made short work of the chase, coasting to 141-2 from 15.4 overs, with opener Devon Conway top scoring with 47 not out, including four fours and a six.

After some close, exciting earlier matches, the West Indies’ aggressive batting in an attempt to level the series proved too haphazard in seamer-friendly conditions.

Roston Chase top-scored with 38 while Romario Shepherd struck a lively 36 off 22 balls in the lower order.

Duffy was named player of the series after taking 10 wickets at an average of 12.10.

“We just wanted to be clinical, finish off the series and take it home,” said the 31-year-old, who became the first New Zealander to take five four-wicket hauls in T20 internationals.

“We could see there was going to be a little bit in the pitch for us, and we did well to restrict a good West Indies team to 140.”

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New Zealand got off to a flying start, racing to 69 off 7.1 overs before Tim Robinson departed for a hard-hit 45, having smacked five fours and three sixes.

The result was almost assured before Rachin Ravindra was next out for 21 to leave New Zealand 106-2 after 11.5 overs, needing just 35 for victory.

Mark Chapman joined Conway and hit two sixes to be unbeaten on 21 at the end.

West Indies captain Shai Hope said his team struggled to adjust to the conditions, though he made no excuse for their aggressive approach at the top of the order.

“It was something we spoke about, wanting to put good bowling under pressure and not allowing them to settle too much,” Hope said.

“It didn’t work out for us this time around. There are pleasing signs, but certainly areas we can improve on.”

The teams will square up again for three one-day internationals starting in Christchurch on Sunday, followed by three Tests in December.

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Seamer Kyle Jamieson held his nerve in the final over for a second straight game to seal a nine-run victory for New Zealand over the West Indies in a tense finale to the third T20 international on Sunday.

The visitors threatened to surpass New Zealand’s 177-9 in Nelson but were dismissed for 168 when Romario Shepherd was caught in the deep off the penultimate ball for a career-best 49.

New Zealand took a 2-1 lead in the five-game series, following a match that emulated the pattern of the first two, with the chasing team falling just short.

West Indies’ hopes appeared dashed at 88-8 in the 13th over before Shepherd and fellow seamer Shamar Springer began striking the ball cleanly to the boundary.

The pair combined for 78 off just 6.3 overs before Springer was splendidly caught and bowled by Jacob Duffy for 39 with an over remaining.

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Needing 12 to win, the final pair could only score two off Jamieson’s first four deliveries before the towering pace bowler removed Shepherd to spark victory celebrations.

Jamieson had also been effective when New Zealand levelled the series in Auckland on Thursday, conceding 12 in the final over of a nerve-jangling three-run victory.

New Zealand lost their way after opener Devon Conway was run out for 56 off 34 balls, with Daryl Mitchell the most effective of the middle order with a lively 41.

Alick Athanaze, with 31, and Ackeem Auguste, who scored 24, provided a steady start to the West Indies chase, but the loss of six wickets for 35 runs stunted their hopes.

Duffy took 3-36 and Ish Sodhi 3-34, which moved the leg-spinner to third on the all-time list of T20 international wicket-takers with 156.

Sodhi is behind only the 182 victims of Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and the 164 of fellow New Zealander Tim Southee.

The fourth T20 will also be played in Nelson on Monday.

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New Zealand batting great Kane Williamson announced his retirement from Twenty20 internationals on Sunday, saying the team needed “clarity” ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Williamson will depart the shortest format as his country’s second-highest run-scorer, tallying 2,575 runs from 93 matches, including 18 half-centuries, at an average of 33.4.

He captained New Zealand to the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup – where he scored 85 in a losing cause against Australia – and to semi-final appearances in 2016 and 2022.

Williamson relinquished the captaincy in both white ball formats when signing a “casual” contract with NZ Cricket, allowing him to pick and choose his availability.

Last week, the 35-year-old confirmed that he would be cutting back on his international commitments to focus more time on his young family and playing in professional white-ball leagues.

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“It’s the right time for myself and the team. It gives the team clarity for the series moving forward and ahead of their next major focus, which is the T20 World Cup,” Williamson said in a statement.

“There’s so much T20 talent there, and the next period will be important to get cricket into these guys and get them ready for the World Cup.”

Williamson will miss the home T20 series against the West Indies starting on Wednesday and has also made himself unavailable for the subsequent ODI series.

However, he will be available for three Tests against the tourists in December, where he will look to add to his New Zealand record 9276 runs in the longest format.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink said Williamson had earned the right to determine how he plays out the rest of his international career.

“We’ve made it clear to Kane he has our full support as he reaches the back end of his illustrious career,” Weenink said.

“We would, of course, love to see him play for as long as possible, but there’s no doubt whenever he does decide to finally call time, he will go down as a legend of New Zealand cricket.”

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WELLINGTON: Blair Tickner and Zakary Foulkes made decisive contributions with bat and ball to secure a tense two-wicket win for New Zealand over England on Saturday and a clean sweep of the three-match ODI series.

The two tailenders put on an unbroken stand of 30 for the ninth wicket to lift the home side to 226-8 in the 45th over after England had once again struggled with the bat to be dismissed for 222.

Seamers Tickner and Foulkes took six wickets between them after England collapsed to 44-5, the visitors’ top-order failing once again.

The dismal form of Test batsmen Ben Duckett and Joe Root will be of concern less than three weeks from the start of the Ashes Test series in Australia.

England’s top four made a total of 84 runs across the three matches, the fewest by any team in a comparable men’s ODI series or tournament.

England were dismissed for 223 in the opening match and 175 in the second.

Captain Harry Brook said his players never adjusted to the movement extracted by New Zealand’s pace bowlers in seam-friendly conditions.

“We didn’t quite get big enough scores to be able to defend them and give the bowlers the best chance to win us the game,” Brook said.

“New Zealand are the second-best team in the world for a reason. They’ve outplayed us in this series. We just haven’t been good enough.”

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Tickner (4-64) claimed four wickets for the second successive game, while Foulkes (2-27) removed Jamie Smith and Root inside the first four overs.

Foulkes’ new-ball partner Jacob Duffy (3-56) then accounted for Duckett, Brook and Jacob Bethell.

Jamie Overton’s maiden ODI half-century was the foundation of an England recovery, with the all-rounder the last man out for 68 in the 41st over.

Brydon Carse also achieved a career-best score in the format, blasting four sixes on his way to 36.

New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra scored a bright 46 and Daryl Mitchell continued his fine form with 44, but a steady loss of wickets set up an exciting finish.

Overton and Sam Curran took two wickets each, while the home side lost two batsmen to the same unfortunate means of dismissal.

Devon Conway and Tom Latham were both run out, caught short of their crease at the bowler’s end following the deflection of straight drives from another batsman.

Foulkes was unbeaten on 14 and Tickner not out 18, with their late heroics extending New Zealand’s exceptional run of ODI results on home soil.

New Zealand have won 25 of 29 ODI matches on home turf since February 2019, with two losses and two no-results.

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HAMILTON: New Zealand produced a dominant all-round performance to seal the three-match ODI series against England with a commanding win in the second game at Seddon Park on Wednesday.

Led by Blair Tickner’s fiery spell and composed half-centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, the Black Caps chased down a modest target of 176 with five wickets and nearly 17 overs to spare, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Tickner’s 4-34 set the tone as England were bundled out for just 175 in 36 overs after being put in to bat.

None of the English batters managed to occupy the crease for long, as regular wickets derailed their innings from start to finish.

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Only Jamie Overton (42 off 27) and captain Harry Brook (34 off 34) offered brief resistance, but both fell to soft dismissals that summed up England’s reckless approach.

In reply, New Zealand’s chase began shakily when Jofra Archer removed Will Young for a duck in the very first over.

However, Rachin Ravindra steadied the innings with a fluent 54 off 58 balls, striking eight boundaries and a six. He shared a 63-run stand with Daryl Mitchell, who once again proved to be New Zealand’s rock in the middle order.

Mitchell remained unbeaten on 56 from 59 deliveries, decorated with six fours and two sixes, while captain Mitchell Santner’s blistering cameo of 34 off 17 balls ensured a quick finish as the hosts reached 177-5 in just 33.1 overs.

Archer was the standout bowler for England, finishing with 3-23 in his 10 overs, while Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid claimed one wicket each.

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VISAKHAPATNAM: New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has called time on her One Day International (ODI) career following her last group-stage fixture against England in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Devine played her last match against the Three Lions here on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career spanning two decades.

The 36-year-old finished with the second-longest ODI career for Black Caps, both men and women. She made her debut in 2017 at 17.

Devine played 159th and final ODI against England at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam, scoring 23 off 35 balls and picking up a wicket.

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Following the match, Devine was given a guard of honour by both teams

“Not to make it about myself, but we wanted to go out on a high, but that didn’t happen today. Credit to England. I actually didn’t cry as much as I thought I would,” she said.

“Good thing about announcing retirement so early meant that I had time to deal with those emotions. It wasn’t about the result today but just finish it off with my mates. I’m just so humbled that I have been able to do this for 19 years,” Devine said after the match,” she continued.

Overall, she scored 4279 runs at an average of 32.66 with the help of nine centuries and 18 fifties.

Besides batting, she also delivered with the ball, scalping 111 wickets, with her best figures of 3/24 against West Indies in 2018.

However, her side had a poor run in the World Cup, finishing at sixth position ahead of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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VISAKHAPATNAM: Linsey Smith’s three-wicket haul, backed by a strong batting display, led England to a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand here on Sunday in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Set a mere 169-run target, England hit the winning runs on the loss of two wickets with ease in 29.2 overs.

Amy Jones remained unbeaten with 86 from 92 balls, a knock peppered with 11 fours and a six, whereas Tammy Beaumont struck seven fours in her 38-ball 40.

For New Zealand, there was nothing much in the bowling charts like batting as Lea Tahuhu and Sophie Devine managed to scalp one wicket each.

Earlier, New Zealand could not capitalize on the decision to bat first as their innings folded on 168 all out in 38.2 overs.

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The Three Lions removed opener Suzie Bates in the fifth over, who departed after scoring just 10 from 16 balls.

Following the early wicket, Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer added 68 runs for the second before the former’s wicket sparked a collapse that the White Ferns could not recover from.

The pair was removed on successive deliveries, reducing New Zealand to 89-3 in 19.1 overs. Kerr made 35 from 43 balls with the aid of five fours, and Plimmer scored 43 from 57 deliveries laced with seven fours.

Besides the pair, there were no significant contributions from the middle-order batters.

For England, Linsey Smith remained the star bowler with three wickets to her name. Alice Capsey and Nat Sciver-Brunt supported her well with two scalps apiece.

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