West Indies vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI, New Zealand tour of West Indies, 2026 - CommentaryWI vs NZ, 3rd ODI, New Zealand tour of West Indies, 2026 - Commentary

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Mitchell Santner | New Zealand skipper: [On New Zealand’s bowling performance after winning the toss] Toss helps, obviously. But again, I think on pitches like this where it does a bit, I think you just keep it pretty simple. I think the powerplay is still the best time to bat, slightly harder ball. And then when the ball gets a bit older, it looks quite challenging, as we’ve seen, especially throughout the day. So, yeah, it was a nice performance. I think they had a couple of nice partnerships, but we just knew if we could keep taking wickets, then eventually, it was nice to get them out for 140. [On Lennox’s impressive performances] I think he’s done it for a long time back home on pitches that don’t spin. So I guess coming over here, it’s been a nice one, as a spin group, four of us in the last couple of games, to just keep it nice and simple. You know when you screwed it into the wicket, it was obviously a little bit there, which was nice. So I think, Jayden’s very accurate, and he showed that the last couple of games with, again, a lot of bowleds and LBWs. And I think it keeps things pretty simple. You just try to attack the stumps and see what happens. [On his own bowling approach in spin-friendly conditions] Yeah, I think for me it’s, I think at the start of the spell, it was trying to see which ball was the most effective. And I think, obviously, the faster ones were a bit skiddy. And then when I slowed it up, there was actually more turn. So I think if there’s a bit of turn when I bowl slow, I tend to bowl a bit more slowly. But I think everyone - Bracewell, Foxcroft, Lennox, myself - we’re all slightly different. So it’s quite nice to have different guys operating as well.

Shai Hope | West Indies skipper: [On the batting performance after posting 140] It’s always challenging batting first here in Guyana, but I’ve not been a good captain when we toss, but it’s something we still have to find ways of scoring in tough conditions. I still felt they bowled really well, but we still need to find ways to score in these challenging conditions. Having said that, we need to leave these two games here in Guyana. We’re going to a different country, different conditions, so it’s about finding ways to perform in those conditions when we get there. [On the challenges of batting in Guyana] There’s a lot to speak about, to be honest. Bounce is fairly inconsistent. Some spin, even though the bowlers might put some revs on it, some would slide and keep low, some would spin and bounce. So it’s about trying to get in strong positions and finding ways to score when they bowl those good balls. But it’s one of those ones where you also need a little bit of luck, something that we maybe didn’t have as a batting group in these last two games. I can say the complete opposite for the New Zealanders because they had a lot of close chances there, close calls. But, yeah, it’s always going to be challenging playing in these conditions. But when we find ourselves in these conditions, we’ve got to find a way to be better. [On moving to Barbados for the remaining matches] The only thing to take is 2-1. We’re down in the series. We’ve got to turn things around to find ourselves back in the series. So we’ve got to win that first one for sure to give ourselves a chance. But the first thing is about seeing what is in front of us, assessing those conditions there, and then hopefully we can get a better result. [On Lawes impressive bowling performances] He’s bowling really well. He’s came in and settled in very nicely. It’s something that we’ve been looking for, some spinning options. And like I said, he’s been bowling really nicely. He’s been very consistent after that first game when his nerves settled a little bit more now. But the thing is, there’s only one way up from here. He’s bowling really well, so it’s just about continuing. And when he finds himself in these conditions, you’ve got to really capitalise.

Jayden Lennox | Player of the Match: [On winning back-to-back Player of the Match awards] I suppose it’s pleasing, but I certainly don’t play the game for personal awards. So to go 2-1 up is obviously pleasing. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to go home with the series win. So to go a step closer to that is obviously very pleasing. [On his bowling approach and the number of wickets bowled or LBW] There’s obviously no secret to it. It’s keep the stumps in play, let the pitch do what it does. Obviously, we can’t control it. If we put the ball in the right area, we’re going to get some rewards. So the key for the bowling unit at the moment is, yeah, it’s pretty simple. Keep the stumps in play and let the pitch do what it does for us. [On whether he knows how much the ball will turn] There’s certainly a level of variability. Obviously, there’s some subtlety with wrist positions and those kind of things. But I think the big thing is here, like you can put the seam in the right direction and the pitch is going to change how much it spins for you. So I think if you’re putting the ball in the right area, the pitch is going to assist you as well. [On learning from captain Mitchell Santner] Yeah, it’s obviously, he’s been a big inspiration for, I suppose, my craft as a left-arm orthodox bowler in New Zealand conditions. So I suppose thinking back 12 months, it was probably a long shot to be, I suppose, here playing with him. So it’s been really cool to sort of lean on him and learn from him as well. [On what has pleased him most about the bowling unit’s performances in the series] Oh, I think just the adaptability from the whole bowling unit. So from game one, we weren’t too happy with how we executed for bits and pieces of that game. So to pick up games two and three and bounce back and adapt and show that we’re learning very quickly is very pleasing.

20:20 Local Time, 00:20 GMT, 05:50 IST: Another convincing win for the Kiwis on a difficult pitch, chasing a tricky total. They bowled well to bundle out the West Indies for 140 on a sticky wicket to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. The top order contributed to the chase, but it was Latham once again who remained calm and steadied the ship in the end, ably supported by Foxcroft. For the West Indies, Lawes was among the wickets, taking 3 for 39, but defending such a small total was always going to be difficult. The West Indian spinners did trouble New Zealand, but the visitors batted sensibly to romp home by six wickets. Do join us for the post-match presentation!