Daryl Mitchell’s heroic 118-ball 119 powered New Zealand to a narrow seven-run victory over West Indies in Christchurch, giving the hosts a 1–0 lead in the ODI series. On a two-paced Hagley Oval surface that challenged both sides, Mitchell rose above the difficulty and a groin injury to steer his team to 269 for 7 before watching the entire second innings from the dressing room.
West Indies made life difficult for themselves early in the chase, crawling to 32 in the first ten overs as New Zealand’s quicks extracted relentless seam, swing and bounce. Sherfane Rutherford’s gritty 55 and Shai Hope’s 37 kept the visitors alive, but the required rate kept climbing. Despite several late chances going down, New Zealand held firm as Kyle Jamieson led the attack with 3 for 52.
Mitchell’s knock stood out on a day when no other batter crossed 55. He countered Matthew Forde’s fiery early burst, which included a hat-trick chance with proactive footwork and powerful straight hitting. Even after injuring his left leg, Mitchell shifted gears smartly, finishing strong with a flurry of boundaries to drag New Zealand to a competitive score.
For West Indies, an overly cautious start and the lack of firepower in the middle overs proved costly. Their seam-bowling allrounders were tidy but not penetrative enough in conditions that demanded more aggression. New Zealand, meanwhile, relied on discipline and pace variety to secure a hard-fought win and momentum heading into the rest of the series.
