NZ vs WI | Jacob Duffy rips through Windies with four-fer to seal 3-1 series win for Black Caps

Gantavya Adukia

ByGantavya Adukia,SportsCafe Editor

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New Zealand hardly broke a sweat at the University Oval in Dunedin on Thursday to trump West Indies by eight-wickets and seal the five-match T20I series 3-1. A three-wicket Jacob Duffy over in the powerplay saw the visitors manage a paltry 140, which was chased down by the Kiwis in just 15.4 overs.

The New Zealand squad poses with the trophy after clinching the series against West Indies 3-1 with an eight-wicket win in the fifth T20I in Dunedin

Asked to bat first, West Indies skipper Shai Hope began with intent as he slashed hard at a Jacob Duffy outswinger first ball to send the top-edge sailing past third-man for six before ending the over with a boundary. However, his opening partner Alick Athanaze had no such luck as he popped one straight back to a leaping Kyle Jamieson, handing the Kiwis their first breakthrough. Next batter in Ackeem Auguste tried to follow in his captain's footsteps with two gorgeous boundaries early on, but disaster was inevitable. Hope tried to go big again veruss Duffy to begin the third over but this time the top-edge landed in the keeper's gloves, two balls before a lethal inswinger uprooted Auguste's leg-stump. Sherfane Rutherford decided the best way to counter the fiendish bowling was charging down the track and nicked behind his second ball as a result, thus leaving the Windies reeling at 21/4 after three. Rovman Powell became victim number five by holing out off Michael Bracewell's second ball after the spread of field, leaving the onus on the vastly experienced duo of Roston Chase and Jason Holder to carry the batting. Both took the more cautious route and focused on keeping the scorecard ticking, before slightly switching gears with back-to-back 11-run overs either side of the midway mark to take the score to 86/5. However, the return to pace with James Neesham did the trick for the Kiwis as Chase top-edged to Conway for a 32-ball 38, four balls before Holder sliced one straight to the pacer off Sodhi's bowling to depart for 20. Neesham was involved in a third wicket on the trot when he took a sharp catch running in off skip Mitchell Santner to send back Matthew Forde for a duck, the score now 94/8 with eight overs to go. Romario Shepherd took the opportunity to swing for the hills, a tactic that earned him three boundaries and as many maximums, including two off Duffy. However, the quick had the final laugh when Neesham held off for another catch immediately after Tim Robinson had let one slip, ending Shepherd's 22-ball cameo for 36. The Kiwi all-rounder made it five wicket involvements back-to-back by dispatching Seales with nine balls remaining in the innings, thus setting his team a target of 141.

In response, Robinson offered the Windies an early foothold by smashing one back at Forde third ball but the quick could not grab on. The opener responded with three boundaries and a maximum across the next three overs, latching on to any width available, before partner Devon Conway joined the party with a maximum off Jayden Seales. Robinson left his best fot the end of the powerplay as he struck Holder for 14 runs in threee deliveries, including a 98-metre head straight over the veteran's head, to take the score to 61/0 at the end of six overs. The fireworks finally ended in the eighth over when Shepherd struck timber with his first delivery of the day, but the required run rate was already under run-a-ball by now. Rachin Ravindra and Conway cruised to a 34-run stand in 28 deliveries thereafter, the latter surviving a missed stumping while the former smashed two boundaries and a maximum in his 16-ball stay for 21. Springer delivered a late blow by having Ravindra caught at extra cover in the 12th over and nearly got two-in-two but Mark Chapman's review saved him from a golden duck in his 100th T20I. Chase nearky took a blinder in Springer's next over but Conway survived again, and it was all smooth sailing thereafter for the Kiwis. Chapman struck two maximums in the 15th to bring the team within touching distance, and Conway scored the winning runs the next over to end unbeaten on 46 and seal the series with three wins on the trot. 

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