Match overview
New Zealand beat West Indies by 7 runs at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 16 November 2025. Batting first, New Zealand posted 269/7 from their 50 overs, a score well above the ground's average first-innings total of 196 across 91 ODI matches at the venue. West Indies mounted a serious late challenge, finishing on 262/6, but the target proved just out of reach. Daryl Mitchell was named Player of the Match in a fixture that extended New Zealand's dominance over West Indies in bilateral ODI cricket.
New Zealand's innings was built in the middle overs. After a cautious powerplay of 39 runs for 2 wickets, the period between overs 11 and 40 yielded 146 runs for only 2 wickets, a rate that gave the death-overs batters licence to attack. They used it: 84 runs came from the last 10 overs, albeit at the cost of 3 wickets.
West Indies' reply followed a similar shape, but with more dramatic closing phases. Their powerplay returned just 32 runs for 1 wicket, tighter than New Zealand's and well below par on a ground where the average powerplay score is 34 runs. The middle overs were controlled but expensive, 140 runs for 4 wickets. Then the death overs produced 90 runs for just 1 wicket, comfortably the most productive phase of any innings in the match. It was not quite enough.
Venue and conditions
Hagley Oval has hosted 91 ODI matches and the numbers tell a relatively balanced story. The average first-innings score of 196 and average second-innings score of 186 suggest a surface that rewards batting without being a featherbed. Both totals in this match exceeded those averages by a considerable distance, which points to favourable batting conditions on the day.
The ground's chase-success rate of 53% makes it marginally friendlier to teams batting second than most neutral venues, though the 7-run margin in this match shows how fine those margins can be. The toss tends to go to the fielding side here, with the team opting to bowl winning the toss in 67% of matches. West Indies followed convention but New Zealand's first-innings batting made that decision look uncomfortable.
Death-overs scoring at Hagley averages 29 runs across the dataset. West Indies' 90-run death-overs return in this chase was therefore exceptional and almost rewrote the result entirely.
How to watch
New Zealand international cricket is available to UK viewers on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming through Sky Go and NOW TV. For series schedules and broadcast times in British Summer Time or GMT, Sky Sports' online schedule is the most reliable source. Coverage typically begins 30 minutes before the first ball for ODI fixtures.
BBC Radio's Test Match Special covers major ICC events and selected bilateral series. For ODI series of this kind, Sky Sports holds the primary broadcast rights for UK audiences.
Recent form
New Zealand arrived at this match having won four of their five most recent ODI meetings with West Indies in 2025, with one match producing no result. That run includes a 323-run win at Bay Oval and a 9-wicket victory at Basin Reserve, results that suggest the gap between the sides in New Zealand conditions has been considerable at times this year.
West Indies' sole win against New Zealand in 2025 shows they are capable of competing, and the 7-run margin in this fixture confirms the series has tightened. Their ability to post 90 death-overs runs against a New Zealand attack at home is not something to dismiss. Whether that batting form carries into subsequent matches in this series will be the central question going forward.
