West Indies’ long and painful 30-year wait for a Test victory on New Zealand soil continues, after a familiar batting collapse condemned them to a nine-wicket defeat inside three days at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Resuming their second innings on a shaky 32 for 2, the Caribbean side crumbled to 128 all out, leaving the Black Caps a modest target of 55. New Zealand duly knocked off the runs with ease, reaching 57 for 1 to secure an unbeatable 1–0 lead in the three-match series.
Devon Conway (28*) and Kane Williamson (16*) steered the hosts home in an unbroken 31-run second-wicket stand after captain Tom Latham fell for 9, caught by Kavem Hodge of the bowling of Anderson Phillip to momentarily spark hope for the visitors.
Earlier in the day, Hodge (35) and Justin Greaves (25) offered the most resistance for the Windies, but once again the innings revolved around isolated efforts rather than a cohesive partnership. Man of the Match Jacob Duffy tore through the batting line-up with an incisive 5 for 38, while Michael Rae provided strong support with 3 for 45.
New Zealand’s dominance followed their first-innings total of 278 for 9 declared, which handed them a 73-run lead after West Indies posted 205 on the opening days.
Final scores:
West Indies 205 & 128
New Zealand 278 for 9 & 57 for 1
With the series now out of reach for the visitors—courtesy of a thrilling draw in the opening Test—the teams will head to Mount Maunganui for the third and final match-up, which bowls off on December 17.
