West Indies vs New Zealand, 5th ODI, New Zealand tour of West Indies, 2026 - CommentaryWI vs NZ, 5th ODI, New Zealand tour of West Indies, 2026 - Commentary

Mitchell Santner collects the trophy before the rest of the New Zealand players join him as they celebrate and pose in front of the cameras. That's it from this five-match ODI series. West Indies are next in action when they host Pakistan for a two-match Test series starting on July 25. As for New Zealand, they don't play again until October, when they welcome India for five T20Is, five ODIs and a two-Test series. That's all from us for now. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!

Mitchell Santner | New Zealand captain: Another great game, as it's been out through this whole series. Obviously, it's nice to win the trophy 3-2, but it could have gone either way, probably every game in the series. Today, we set it up quite nicely with the bat. We probably fell a touch short of where we wanted, but I think the fight that the lads showed with the ball was outstanding. [On the depth of New Zealand cricket] It's in a great place. I guess with the condensed schedules at the moment, there is a little bit of rotation. So, it gives guys opportunities, which is always good to grow the depth, like you said. And with the guys that have come in and stepped up straight away, as they did in Bangladesh and India when there's a few boys away. So, we're in a pretty good spot at the moment, which is nice. [How challenging are these conditions for the batters?] Yeah, they are. I mean, they're obviously a little bit slower than especially when you're back home. Guyana was, I think a bit of a challenge. You've got to take your par score down to kind of 210, 220 if you're batting first. And tosses actually were quite important this series, which you don't really want it to be. But, yeah, and then I guess here it was nice. Today it played quite well, I think. We were probably a little bit short with the bat, but I think under lights there it played quite nicely. But I guess there is a little bit of turn in the West Indies, which is nice (smiles). [On Jayden Lennox] He's done it for a long time in New Zealand where it can be quite challenging, I think. The thing with him, he's very clear in how he wants to operate. I guess he's done it for a long time. And, when you get him on the international stage, he's still very clear and understands what the role is out there. I guess here it spins a bit more, and I think attacking the stumps like he always does is always a challenge. And same with Motie as well. An outstanding series for him. I guess when you come to these conditions and you kind of expect to take wickets, but, he kind of went about it the same as he usually would, and 14 wickets in the five games is pretty good.

Shai Hope | West Indies captain: [On what it means to win the final ODI] Fight, something that we've shown quite a bit in this series, and it's great to get a win in the last one. Unfortunately, it didn't be 3-2 on our side, but that's how it goes sometimes. [On the learnings] A bit more consistency, well a lot more consistency. Something that we lacked in the last few series, from I guess a holistic standpoint. Sometimes when we bowl well, we find ourselves struggling a bit with the bat, and vice versa. So it's about playing that complete game more often than not. Other than that, it's just about having that same intent with both bat and ball, and finding ways to win in crucial moments of the game. [On the defining difference between both teams] I would say grasping those moments. There were very, very key moments in a couple of the games in Guyana, when our batters, we didn't really capitalise on some of the starts that we got. Challenging conditions, yes, but that's what we have to do here in international cricket. When you're faced with challenges, you've got to find a way to overcome them. And like I said, those crucial moments, last game. We're going to look at the catch, but there's always a way. We could have probably scored a bit more runs with the bat as well, give our bowlers a bit more cushion. So there's so many areas of the game that you can look at. But, you know, we're always going to look at a one moment, but still the crucial moments of the game, we need to be able to grasp a lot more and be more consistent on that. [How can you get more victories for the West Indian public?] To be honest, we're trying. I think something that we don't see, the guys are putting a lot of work behind the scenes. You know, the schedule is very tight. When we travel, sometimes we're traveling, and next morning we've got to be up in the nets trying to get those little tweaks out. So the guys are working hard, it's just about being able to execute when things are tough. I think that's the key for us, you know. We've got the capabilities, the guys have the skill set. We all can play cricket, but it's about doing it more consistently when, you know, the pressure situations come, and they're right. But yeah, we're going to get there, man, we're going to get there.

Jayden Lennox | Player of the Series: [On his experience of bowling in West Indies] It's been a lot of fun playing on some pitches that are pretty spin-conducive. Certainly a huge learning for me, but, I think these series, these bilateral series are all about learning and gaining experience in foreign conditions. So I'll certainly go home with my pocket full of knowledge. [On what he has learned about himself during the series] I think it's just the subtleties of the craft that left-arm spin spin bowling, obviously Mitch has done it for a long time now. So to be able to be here and watch what he's doing and see how he's operating, and I suppose use some of his tricks and some subtle variations of the craft, is kind of what it's all about, coming and playing on these surfaces. [On whether there was any consideration of him bowling his remaining over at the back end] I don't know, I think it was a bit of a toss up. It's one of those things. You've got to roll the dice when somebody's going like Hetty was. [On whether there was a particular wicket or spell from the series that stood out] There's nothing that sticks out. Obviously, I've been the beneficiary of some really good bowling from Mitch and Beast (Bracewell) as well. So, pretty lucky to be able to sit there and sort of hone my craft while they operate at the other end. There's nothing that sticks out. So obviously, really pleasing to get a series win. [On whether the conditions were what he expected coming into the series] I don't think Guyana surprised me too much. I was here just about 12 months ago to the day. So yeah, that didn't really surprise me. And then I knew that we were going to find a little bit more bounce here. And then turning up three or four days ago, looking at the surface, I almost didn't believe them when they said that it was really bouncy. So yeah, I think the conditions have been fun, and they've been two very, very different surfaces.

Shimron Hetmyer | Player of the Match: [On the satisfaction of his match-winning unbeaten half-century and staying till the end] I think that's the most satisfying part, to be fair, because, I wasn't really thinking about getting a 50, to be honest. I was just thinking about how I can make sure that the team crosses the line. And every time the guys came out, they were like, 'just make sure you're there at the end, make sure you're there at the end.' And I'm just happy that I could be there at the end to make sure that we cross the line. [On coming to the crease at 123 for 4 and his match-defining partnership with Rutherford] We weren't overthinking anything that we were doing, to be fair. We were just waiting for the ball, getting into our positions, and then waiting for the ball to actually be there for us to play a shot. And then when it was there, we took our chances. We played ... most of the time, it was calculated, to be fair. But I think the positivity, that was the main reason that actually built that partnership and took us where we got to. [On the tense finish and guiding Seales through the closing stages] When he just came out, I was like, 'okay, just take your time, just look at the ball as long and as hard as possible.' And then when I was on strike, I was trying to maximize the over as much as I could have. And then when I realized that he was actually middling a couple, I was like, 'okay, this is good, this is going to work.' So believed in him and showed him that belief from the other side, and that really worked. [On what the victory means to the fans and whether the team can deliver more wins] I would like to think so. It's fans here and fans back at home as well. I'm sure my wife and kids are watching as well, so I'm happy that I could have made them proud and the fans proud here as well.

Talking about the match, fifties from Will Young, Nick Kelly and Tom Latham powered New Zealand to 268/9. In reply, West Indies openers Ackeem Auguste (34 off 24) and Justin Greaves (24 off 15) got the chase off to a flying start, adding 50 runs in under six overs, but both fell in successive overs. Keacy Carty and Shai Hope then steadied the innings with a 59-run stand, but neither could convert their start into a match-winning knock. It was eventually Rutherford (61 off 58) and Hetmyer who joined forces, adding a crucial 95 runs to put West Indies in a commanding position. However, Rutherford's needless dismissal, stumped attempting an ambitious shot, gave New Zealand a way back into the contest. Gudakesh Motie, Matthew Forde and Alzarri Joseph departed in quick succession, and it looked like West Indies were on the verge of throwing the game away. But Shimron Hetmyer held his nerve, stayed till the end, and made sure the hosts got over the line.

22:26 Local Time, 02:26 GMT, 07:56 IST: Shimron Hetmyer does to New Zealand what Mitchell Santner did to West Indies in the fourth ODI, but this time with a whole lot more Caribbean flair. The left-hander stays unbeaten on 69 off 64 as the hosts go over the line with two wickets to spare. West Indies end the series on a high with an impressive chase in the fifth ODI, powered by superb knocks from Sherfane Rutherford and Hetmyer. However, it's New Zealand who take the series 3-2. Remarkably, all five matches have been won by the team batting second. West Indies chased down 267 and 268 in the first and fifth ODIs respectively, but their struggles batting first proved costly. They were bowled out for under 150 twice, while their 188 in the fourth ODI wasn't quite enough as New Zealand edged home by one wicket. West Indies also dropped a crucial catch in the closing stages of that game, and had that opportunity been taken, the series scoreline could well have been different.