50 overs New Zealand 269 for 7(Mitchell 119, Conway 49, Seales 3-41, Forde 2-55) vs West Indies
Everyone climbed onto the struggle bus in Christchurch, even Daryl Mitchell who initially looked like he was zipping off into the distance but eventually was battling not just a remarkably disciplined West Indies attack but also his own body breaking down from the stress. The fact that he was able to ride those challenges – and take New Zealand to a total of 269 – made the century all the more sweet.
Mitchell must have felt it too, whipping his helmet off and roaring the word “yes” with so much emotion that even the veins on his shaved head were popping all over the place. Performances like these were once the purview of Kane Williamson or Ross Taylor – two all-time Black Caps legends. Increasingly though, Mitchell has been putting himself up on their level, this 119 coming on the back of four fifties in his last seven ODIs.
A two-paced pitch that offered just enough nibble all the way through suited West Indies just fine as they won the toss and chose to bowl. They made five changes from their last ODI, in Bangladesh last month, replacing a trio of spinners with a trio of seamers. The best of them was Matthew Forde who was on a hat-trick in the seventh over, removing Rachin Ravindra for 4 and Will Young on his 50th ODI for a golden duck.
That’s when Mitchell walked in and immediately flipped the game on its head.
Till then, New Zealand’s batters were trapped in the crease and Forde was given the leeway to do whatever he wanted. Mitchell walked at the fast bowler, trusting his reflexes to deal with the speed of the ball – which on average was only 122 kph – and negating the biggest thing that Forde had going for him – sideways movement, particularly into the right-hander. West Indies tried to stop that by bringing the wicketkeeper up but that only slowed Mitchell down. It didn’t uproot him.
Mitchell was 33 off 37. He needed 24 deliveries to get to fifty. New Zealand were 91 for 2 in the 18th over. Only two of the next 16 would go for even a run a ball. Five of them almost became maidens. West Indies were remarkably tight, particularly Roston Chase, who practically weaponised the wind blowing across Hagley Oval.
Matthew Forde helped West Indies start well with the ball•Getty Images
He came on for the 26th over – very much the period where New Zealand were only looking for risk-free runs – and closed that tap, bowling around the wicket to both left- and right-hand batters, tossing the ball up and letting it catch the breeze. As a result, he got an unnatural amount of drift and combined that with a deliberate attempt not to turn the ball. Offspinners release with the seam slanted at 45 degrees. Chase had it perpendicular with the pitch. He had New Zealand playing for turn and cramping them up over and over. The other thing he did well was control his length. There was nothing full so no one could just dance down and hit him straight over the top. Not even Mitchell, who is so good down the ground.
It is a shame Chase only finished with one wicket, but he could still hold onto the memories of torturing Michael Bracewell, who needed DRS to save him twice to get into double-digits and then enjoyed even more luck when Shai Hope missed a stumping and John Campbell put down a straightforward catch at cover. Three of those four chances came off Chase’s bowling, the exasperated offspinner caught on the stump mic saying “Jeeesus” as one of them went begging. Eventually West Indies accepted one of Bracewell’s many gifts as he departed for 35 off 52.
That left New Zealand at 192 for 5 in the 42nd over, but of greater concern was Mitchell pulling up in the middle of running a single and needing repairs to his left leg. He was 79 off 93 at that point, just starting to cut loose. Now, he was hampered running between the wickets and left to just stand and deliver. Good thing he’s six feet and change of pure muscle. Mitchell belted out those straight hits that he’s renowned for, thundering to his seventh ODI century, an innings that had so many phases. The initial acceleration. The slowing down because he knew he had to be there till the end. The injury complicating things. The will to keep going. And then the cathartic roar as he succeeded in giving New Zealand a fighting total and himself a personal milestone.
West Indies could have had Mitchell for 19 and 67 but Chase at point and Jayden Seales at long-on put down two tough catches. New Zealand also benefited from Devon Conway’s persistence at the top of the order, where he scored 49 off 58 despite looking far from his best.
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
