WI VS NZ 2ND ODI

Right then, after the win in the T20I series, the Kiwis have also sealed the ODI series against West Indies with a game to spare. Yet again, things went down to the wire, but the hosts had enough firepower to get them home. Next up is the 3rd and final ODI, which will be played in Hamilton on Saturday, 22 November. The game will begin at 1 am GMT but you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Cheers!

Mitchell Santner, the captain of New Zealand, says that there were a few blokes in the team who thought they wouldn't get a game in today but he feels that it is so difficult to defend on a ground like this. Adds that once the ball got older, one could get in and score heavily, just like Shai Hope did and also the likes of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. Reckons that West Indies batted well in the second half of their innings but they did well to keep wickets in hand and exploit things at the death.

West Indies skipper, Shai Hope is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his sensational ton. Hope says that he always looks at it one way, and even though he scored 109 runs, it wasn't enough, so he isn't pleased with himself. Adds that he was trying to put pressure on the opposition and not allow the bowlers to settle and set up for a big finish. On his record of scoring centuries against all Test-playing nations, Hope says that he is least concerned by that record and he would rather score just 2 or 5 runs and win the match rather than score a ton and lose the game. On the total on the board, Hope says that he felt it was enough but he was proved wrong and they could have done better up top with the bat and also didn't force the batters to hit down the ground on a ground where the boundaries were short square of the wicket. On Romario Shepherd's injury, he says that it was a loss but they had enough quality in the bowling attack to go on and do the job. Adds that they have pushed the home side and have now lost about 4 or so close games in the final over but they need to win such games in the future.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the day, the players were welcomed by a steady drizzle, which lasted quite a while and at one point in time, hopes of getting a game in seemed bleak but thankfully, the rain stopped and the ground staff did an immaculate job mopping things up. New Zealand bowled first on a deck that seemed lively to begin with and the likes of Matt Henry and Nathan Smith exploited conditions brilliantly. The Windies were seemingly heading towards a meager total but up stepped their skipper Shai Hope and scored a quikfire century to take his team to a solid total of 247 runs.

West Indies will be heartbroken after that loss and one could see how much it meant for Jayden Seales, who gave it his all but one bad ball in the final over and it was all over. Just like with the bat, the Windies didn't start positively with the ball. Even though Matthew Forde bowled a good spell, they failed to get wickets and the change bowlers were being put away with ease. It was Justin Greaves who gave the Windies their first wicket and they did well to quickly build on it as 106/1 quickly became 136/3. They managed to pick up a couple of more wickets at crucial junctures but failed to stop the boundaries at the death.

A target of 248 runs in 34 overs wasn't going to be an easy one but the Kiwi openers laid down the foundation right at the top. Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway stitched together a century stand, the first one by a Kiwi opening pair for well over 2 years but just as Ravindra looked in overdrive mode, he got out. Conway was striking the ball beautifully but the likes of Will Young and Mark Chapman came in and went out quite early. Conway also fell just after breaching the 90-run mark and the hosts needed a stand. However, Michael Bracewell flopped once again but that is when Mitchell Santner came in and stepped up once again. Tom Latham paced his innings brilliantly and Santner's lusty blows made sure that the current and former Kiwi skippers got their side to victory.

What a dramatic end to a dramatic day in Napier and at the end of it all, it is New Zealand who seal the three-match ODI series 2-0 with a game in hand. West Indies gave it their all once again but it just wasn't enough and the Kiwis found a way to get over the line.

That's it, Mitchell Santner hits the winning runs and brings up an 11th straight bilateral ODI series win at home for the Kiwis. Full and outside off, Santner crunches the cover drive through the gap, but the ball holds up before reaching the ropes, and the batters have to get across for a single to seal the win. New Zealand win by 5 wickets, and Jayden Seales can be seen heartbroken.

Full and straight, Latham walks inside the line and heaves it away to deep mid-wicket for a single. Scores are now level.

NO BALL AND FOUR! Oh, deary me! That should be the game for New Zealand. Jayden Seales goes for the yorker but the ball slips out of his hand and it ends up being a chest-high full toss around off. Also, Tom Latham does well to adjust and just ramps it over the keeper's head for a boundary. Just 2 needed now for the win. Free Hit coming up as well...

A low full toss, well outside off, Mitchell Santner walks across and picks it up slogging it without much timing to deep mid-wicket for just a single.

8 needed off the final over and here's Jayden Seales to bowl it. Can he defend 7 runs and be the hero for his team? Let's find out...

Crunched but straight to the fielder. Full and wide outside off, Mitchell Santner hangs back and laces the cover drive but straight to sweeper cover for a single.

Wide! Too full and too wide outside the off stump line, left alone for a wide.

Oh, that is a crucial dot ball for the Windies. A yorker around off stump, slower as well, Santner walks across to pick it over the off side but misses.

Slower one, into the pitch and over off, Latham helps the pull wide of short fine leg but the fielder over there does well to keep it down to a single.