Hope ton in vain as New Zealand seal series win in rain-hit thriller

Shai Hope's belligerent ton went in vain as New Zealand won the rain-hit thriller against West Indies in Napier to clinch the ODI series with a game left to play. In a match reduced to 34 overs per side, Hope's 109 not out off 69, which included 13 fours and 4 sixes, powered West Indies to 247/9. Devon Conway (90) and Rachin Ravindra (56) set the tone for the chase before Mitchell Santner's 34* off 15 and Tom Latham's 39 not out helped the hosts win with three deliveries to spare.

Asked to bat, West Indies lost early wickets and made a slow start, managing only 40 in the first 10 overs. Hope then accelerated with regular boundaries and sixes, while Sherfane Rutherford also contributed with a couple of sixes in Nathan Smith's over. Smith hit back with the wickets of Rutherford and Roston Chase, but Hope kept the momentum, reaching a 42-ball fifty. Justin Greaves fell to Smith on 22 before Romario Shepherd struck a quick-fire 22 off 14, including three sixes.

Shepherd's dismissal left West Indies at 177/7 after 28 overs, but Hope ensured they batted their full 34 overs and maximised the total. He hit three fours off Matt Henry in the 29th over, followed by two fours off Blair Tickner. Matthew Forde then hit three fours and a six off Kyle Jamieson before becoming Smith's fourth wicket. Hope moved to 98 with two fours off Henry and reached his hundred in 66 balls with a six off Jamieson in the final over, followed by a boundary as West Indies finished close to 250.

New Zealand began their chase quietly, scoring only 13 in the first five overs before Conway struck a four off Jayden Seales and Ravindra hit a six in the same over. They built a steady partnership, mixing boundaries and strike rotation to keep the chase on track. Ravindra was slower initially but accelerated with two sixes off Shamar Springer and one off Chase to bring up a 42-ball fifty. The century stand was raised in the 16th over before Ravindra fell to Greaves in the 17th.

Conway then brought up his fifty and continued to score boundaries, even as Will Young and Mark Chapman fell quickly. His dismissal in the 26th over, caught at point off Springer, left New Zealand at 166/4, needing 82 in 51 balls. Latham and Michael Bracewell reduced it to 54 off 30 before Bracewell was dismissed by Forde. Needing 40 in the last three overs, Santner eased the pressure with two fours and a six off Forde in the 32nd over, which yielded 18 runs. The New Zealand skipper followed with a four and a six off Springer, bringing it down to 8 off 6, which the hosts achieved comfortably to go 2-0 up in the three-match series.

Brief scores: West Indies 247/9 in 34 overs (Shai Hope 109*; Nathan Smith 4-42, Kyle Jamieson 3-44) lost to New Zealand 248/5 in 33.3 overs (Devon Conway 90, Rachin Ravindra 56; Matthew Forde 1-42) by 5 wickets.