Auckland, November 6, 2025: Mark Chapman produced a breathtaking innings of 78 off just 28 balls to guide New Zealand to their first T20I win of the home season, edging out the West Indies by three runs in a high-octane encounter at Eden Park on Thursday.
Set a daunting target of 208, the visitors appeared out of the contest at 93 for 6 in the 13th over, with the asking rate climbing above 18 per over. However, Rovman Powell launched a fierce counterattack, briefly putting the game back in the balance.
Needing 16 runs from the final over, Matthew Forde struck two boundaries to bring the equation down to eight off four balls. But Powell’s dismissal — caught by Kyle Jamieson on the fourth delivery — swung the momentum back to the hosts. Forde could only manage a single off the final ball, leaving the West Indies agonizingly short by three runs.
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, New Zealand made a steady start as Devon Conway and Tim Robinson added 55 for the opening wicket. Robinson’s inventive strokeplay disrupted the rhythm of the seamers before both openers departed in quick succession.
Chapman then stole the show, blasting three consecutive sixes off Romario Shepherd in the 13th over and racing to a 19-ball fifty, his fastest in T20Is. He fell in the 17th over, but Mitchell Santner ensured a strong finish with a late six as New Zealand reached 207 for 5.
For the visitors, Forde — returning from injury — impressed with figures of 1 for 17 in three overs, though the rest of the attack faltered. Akeal Hosein, introduced as late as the 16th over, went for 23 runs in a single over against Chapman and Daryl Mitchell.
In New Zealand’s only lineup change, Ish Sodhi replaced the injured Jimmy Neesham and made an instant impact, taking three key wickets, including a googly to bowl Jason Holder and a stunning diving catch by Chapman to remove Ackeem Auguste.
The win ended the West Indies’ five-match T20I winning streak and gave New Zealand a morale-boosting victory after losing the series opener at the same venue a day earlier.
