A rain-interrupted opening day at Hagley Oval ended finely balanced as New Zealand reached 231/9 after being reduced to 148/6. West Indies’ pace attack repeatedly broke through, but Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith ensured the hosts stayed in the contest.
Put in to bat by Roston Chase, New Zealand lost Devon Conway to only the third ball of the match. A lengthy rain delay followed, forcing Tom Latham and Williamson to rebuild in difficult conditions as the ball continued to seam and swing throughout the day.
Rampaul: ‘We needed to challenge the bat more’
West Indies quick Ravi Rampaul said the visitors were satisfied with their position despite a late New Zealand recovery.
Having them nine down, we are very happy .When we started with the new ball, we did not challenge the bat. After a session and a half, when we reviewed, I said we needed to challenge the bat a little more. They were 94/1, but we kept looking for that one extra wicket.
Williamson rides luck, but West Indies hit back hard
Playing his first Test in almost a year, Williamson made a composed 52, his 38th Test fifty. He was given a life on 33 when debutant Ojay Shields bowled him with a beauty only to find he had overstepped. Williamson added just 19 more before Justin Greaves had him caught at slip.
He and Latham put on 94 for the second wicket, but from 95/1 New Zealand plunged to 120/5 as the West Indies seamers found both movement and discipline. Latham (24), Rachin Ravindra (3), Will Young (14) and Tom Blundell (29) fell in a decisive middle-order collapse.
Bracewell and Smith Lead Crucial Lower-order Resistance
With Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner ruled out earlier in the day due to groin injuries, New Zealand needed resilience—Bracewell and Smith provided exactly that. Their 52-run eighth-wicket stand steadied the innings, with Bracewell counterattacking and Smith playing the anchor.
Chase eventually removed Smith, before Bracewell fell for 47, miscuing a pull for Shields’ second wicket. Matt Henry was bounced out for 8, and soon after Jacob Duffy was struck on the helmet, prompting a concussion check before poor light ended play.
It was a pretty even day. We are looking forward to the new day.
Windies Eye Quick Finish, NZ Hope Tail Can Push Further
Kemar Roach, Ojay Shields and Justin Greaves took two wickets each, while Jayden Seales, Johann Layne and Roston Chase chipped in with one apiece. West Indies will now look to wrap up the innings quickly on Wednesday and build a lead with the bat.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 231/9 in 70 overs (Kane Williamson 52, Michael Bracewell 47, Tom Blundell 29; Kemar Roach 2-47, Ojay Shields 2-34, Justin Greaves 2-35) against West Indies
