Where would the Black Caps be without Daryl Mitchell?
Fresh from three match-winning knocks in three games against England, Mitchell went even better against the West Indies, as the backbone of New Zealand’s seven-run victory to open their three-match One-Day International (ODI) series in Christchurch.
The 34-year-old made 119 of New Zealand’s 269/7 at Hagley Oval, before the Black Caps held the tourists to 262/6 in reply. The knock, which contained 12 boundaries and two sixes, is Mitchell’s seventh century in ODIs, his second in New Zealand, and first at his adopted home ground of Hagley Oval.
Come time to bowl, the Black Caps looked to have had the result secured. However, a series of late fielding errors only brought the West Indies back into the contest, and left Jacob Duffy needing to defend 20 in the final over.
And despite a late stand of 53 runs in 29 balls from Justin Greaves (38 not out) and Romario Shepherd (26 not out), New Zealand had just enough runs in the bank to get home, after Sherfane Rutherford top scored with 55 off 61.
Mitchell’s innings wasn’t flawless - seeing him dropped on 19, 67 and grassed on 85 - but was timed to perfection, battling through a tricky start before cashing in at the end.
New Zealand’s biggest concern, though, will be that Mitchell battled a groin injury in the latter stage of the innings, and did not field as a precaution.
The West Indies, meanwhile, made lives hard for themselves. Roston Chase’s figures of 1/37 should have been better, only to see three chances - two catches and a stumping - spilled off his bowling.
Kyle Jamieson (3/52) was the best of New Zealand’s bowlers, but Duffy’s 0/48 - containing two maidens - were worth more than the scoreboard might say, holding his nerve at the end.
Victory leaves the Black Caps just one win away from an 11th straight home ODI series win, having not lost in their own backyard since the start of 2019.
Game two will be played at Napier’s McLean Park on Wednesday.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Mitchell’s innings was both the heartbeat, and bulk of New Zealand’s total of 269/7. The 34-year-old arrived at the crease at 24/2 in the seventh over, after Rachin Ravindra (4) and Will Young - playing his 50th ODI - fell in successive balls to Matthew Forde (2/55).
Once he survived the hat-trick delivery, Mitchell got off the mark with four back over Forde’s head, before hitting the same bowler over midwicket for six, and went about rebuilding the innings in a 67-run stand with Devon Conway.
At the other end, Conway - fresh from scores of 56 and 47 not out in the T20 series win - looked fluent, including hitting a six over cover to raise the 50 stand with Mitchell, but fell one shy of a half-century at 91/3 when he was caught behind off the bowling of Greaves (1/54).
Mitchell, though, batted on, and passed 50 from 61 balls, as he and Michael Bracewell (35) combined for another 69 runs.
After taking 61 balls to reach his first 50, Mitchell’s second needed just 46, even battling on through injury. While the innings was Mitchell’s third score of 50 or more in his last four matches, it was also his first century since New Zealand’s 2023 World Cup semifinal defeat to India.
The first ball of the last over brought Mitchell’s downfall, as a tired pull shot off Jayden Seales (3/41) only found the hands of Sherfane Rutherford coming off the leg side boundary. Regardless, having come to the crease at 24/2, Mitchell left to a standing ovation at 263/7.
Chasing 270 for a 1-0 series lead, the West Indies were soon 10/1, as Jamieson found John Campbell’s inside edge through to a diving Tom Latham for four, as the visitors crept to 32/1 in the power play.
While the second wicket pair of Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty added a 50-run stand, the duo didn’t do so with any urgency - taking exactly 100 deliveries - as the asking rate climbed above a run-a-ball. That partnership was broken for 60 by Mitchell Santner (1/46) at 70/2, when Athanaze swept straight to square leg for 29, with the West Indies 200 runs away from the target.
As the asking rate climbed and climbed, the visitors crawled to 87/2 at the halfway stage, and lost Carty one ball later for a pained 32 off 67 balls when he hit Jamieson to Young at point.
Needing 166 runs from the last 20 overs, captain Shai Hope upped his scoring rate, only to perish for 37 when he hit Zak Foulkes (1/30) to Ravindra coming in off the rope at square leg at 138/4.
Chase did his best to keep the West Indies in the fight, including sending Santner into the crowd for six. But when he was bounced out by Matt Henry for 16, caught by Foulkes at fine leg, the visitors entered the final 10 overs needing 98 runs.
Running out of partners, Rutherford sent Santner over long-off, and raised his half-century in 53 balls, and stood as the West Indies’ only chance, and at the very least kept his side level with where the Black Caps were in their innings.
But as Jamieson returned for his final over, Rutherford’s vigil ended, as the left-hander hammered a short ball to Conway running in from the cover boundary at 209/6, needing 61 from 29 balls, with no specialist batters left.
Needing 32 from the last two overs, Henry had Shepherd spilled twice in two balls, by Jamieson and Mark Chapman respectively - as Greaves, himself dropped twice, hammered six over long-off to move the equation to 20 from six.
For good measure, Shepherd was dropped again, this time by Bracewell at deep fine leg, before sending Duffy over midwicket to leave the West Indies needing nine from two, and raise the 50-run stand in just 27 balls.
But a Duffy slower ball ultimately told, and took the result beyond the realm of mathematical possibility for the visitors.
New Zealand 269/7 (Mitchell 119, Conway 49; Seales 3/41)
West Indies 262/6 (Rutherford 55; Jamieson 3/52)
New Zealand win by 7 runs, lead series 1-0