34 overs West Indies 247 for 9 (Hope 109*, Smith 4-42, Jamieson 3-44) vs New Zealand
On a surface that provided oodles of pace and movement, West Indies captain Shai Hope showed his class as he smashed an unbeaten 109 off just 69 balls to propel his team to 247 for 9 in a rain-reduced 34-overs-a-side game against New Zealand in Napier.
The total seemed like a long stretch at one stage, with the ball doing all sorts under murky skies and West Indies reduced to 130 for 6 in the 24th over. But Hope flipped the script in style as West Indies smoked 117 runs in the last ten overs, finishing with a run rate of 7.26.
The match, supposed to start at 2pm local time, was delayed by close to three hours due to rain and a wet outfield. When the toss did eventually take place, Mitchell Santner, with a smirk on his face, had no hesitation in bowling first.
From the outset, it was clear that batting would be hard work on this Napier surface. Matt Henry didn’t get too much swing but the story was different at the other end with Kyle Jamieson moving the ball heaps both ways. Three of the first four overs were maidens, with the only four coming via an Ackeem Auguste inside-edge that flew past the leg stump.
After multiple wafts and across-the-line attempts, Auguste pumped Henry straight over his head in what was the first commanding shot of the day in the fifth over. But, West Indies soon lost John Campbell, whose difficult innings was ended by Jamieson. He got a length ball to move away from off stump and Campbell, looking to flay him across the line, only managed a thick leading edge that nestled into deep third’s hands.
West Indies, having managed just 18 runs in the reduced powerplay of seven overs, targeted Blair Tickner, brought into the side in place of Jacob Duffy. Auguste first clubbed him over his head before Keacy Carty sliced him over point for four more.
Carty’s innings was, however, short-lived as he fell soon to Jamieson, whose opening spell read 5-2-12-2. West Indies continued to go after Tickner as Hope got into his groove. He first hooked Tickner to the vacant deep midwicket fence and then laced him through covers to bring up 6000 ODI runs – among his compatriots, only Viv Richards has got to this mark quicker, by one innings (141 vs 142).
Nathan Smith made an impact with the ball Getty Images
West Indies lost Auguste soon, with his attempted pull spooning straight up for Jamieson to take a catch running back from midwicket. That didn’t impact Hope and the incoming Sherfane Rutherford, who refused to curb their aggressive instincts. Hope pulled Mitchell Santner deep over midwicket, while Rutherford thumped Smith twice into the stands to get West Indies moving again.
However, two quick wickets got New Zealand back into the game. Santner first got rid of Rutherford while Smith breached Chase’s defences with a peach of an indipper that decked back to castle his off stump. While Justin Greaves also fell relatively early, Hope continued on his merry way.
He reached his fifty off 42 balls and just went up a gear. At 130 for 6 after 24 overs, Hope took charge and belted the bowlers all across McLean Park. He got decent support first from Romario Shepherd, who pumped Henry for two sixes in three balls and then dumped Tickner over deep midwicket.
Once Shepherd fell, Matthew Forde also did his bit, even as Hope cracked Henry for three fours in an over, which included a cheeky lob straight over the wicketkeeper’s head. Jamieson was then taken to the cleaners by Forde, who thrashed him for three fours and a six.
Hope moved through his 90s in a flash, crashing Henry for back-to-back fours before reaching his first ODI century against New Zealand – and his 19th overall – with the straightest of straight hits in the final over of the innings. Arms aloft, he soaked in the applause, finishing with 13 fours and four sixes to give West Indies more than a fighting chance.
