New Zealand recorded a comfortable 4-wicket victory over West Indies in the third and final ODI of the series. This was their third consecutive win and saw them complete a series whitewash. It turned out to be a rather one-sided contest as after bundling out the visitors for just 161 runs, the Kiwis went on to chase down the target in just 30.3 overs.
Earlier, West Indies had won the toss and had chosen to bat first and had gotten off to a decent start with openers John Campbell and Ackeem Auguste. They were looking to form a solid stand, but couldn't manage to go very far as Matt Henry got the breakthrough for the hosts. The seamer didn't stop there and picked up the wicket of Keacy Carty for a two-ball duck in the same over. This wicket saw the in-form Shai Hope come out to bat for the Windies.
However, the visitors failed to form big partnerships and kept on losing wickets on regular intervals. Soon, Kyle Jamieson joined in and racked up the scalp of Campbell for 24 runs. Hope wasn't able to continue his fine form and lost his wicket to Zakary Foulkes for just 16. Things would go from bad to worse for West Indies as they would lose their next three wickets in a matter of only 15 deliveries, restricting them down to 95/7 at one stage.
West Indies fail to set up big total
With the New Zealand bowling attack on fire it looked as if West Indies would barely manage to cross the 100-run mark, but valiant cameos from Roston Chase (38) and Khary Pierre (22*) saw them post a total of 161 on the board before being bundled out. Henry was the pick of the bowlers with his figures of 4/43 while both Jacob Dufffy and Mitchell Santner chipped in with two scalps each as the Black Caps capped off a stunning bowling display.
In reply, the hosts did lose the likes of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Will Young early which saw them get restricted to 32/3 at one stage, but Mark Chapman helped in bringing some much-needed stability. Despite Tom Latham's cheap dismissal for 10, Chapman and Michael Bracewell's 75-run partnership turned the game completely in New Zealand's favour.
Chapman and Bracewell take NZ home
Chapman would go on to hit a valiant half-century before eventually departing for 64 thanks to Jayden Seales. However, Bracewell's unbeaten knock of 40 would ensure that the Kiwis got over the line comfortably and chased down the target with almost 20 overs left in their innings. The victory saw New Zealand win the series by 3-0 and continue their brilliant form in one-day cricket. While Henry took home the Player of the Match award, Jamieson was adjudged as the Player of the Series for taking eight wickets in three games.