Match overview
West Indies Cricket beat New Zealand Cricket by 7 runs at Eden Park, Auckland, on 5 November 2025. Batting first, West Indies posted 164/6. New Zealand's chase never quite clicked: they reached 157/9, falling short of the 165-run target with their last wicket pairing unable to close the gap. RL Chase was named Player of the Match, his contribution with bat and ball central to West Indies holding a below-par total. New Zealand had won the toss and chosen to field, the conventional call at this ground, but it did not pay off.
The result is a noteworthy one given the head-to-head context. New Zealand entered the match having won each of their four most recent completed T20I encounters against West Indies, including a 323-run victory earlier in 2025. West Indies' win at Eden Park is one of relatively few against this opponent: they now hold 17 wins to New Zealand's 45 across 71 T20I meetings.
Venue and conditions
Eden Park is one of New Zealand's most familiar T20 venues, having hosted 112 T20 matches. The average first-innings score is 194, which means West Indies' 164/6 was around 30 runs below what this ground typically produces. The average second-innings score is 174, so New Zealand's 157/9 was also below the venue norm for a chase. Both sides underperformed relative to Eden Park's historical scoring rates.
The ground's phase-split data is worth examining alongside what actually happened. The venue average for powerplay runs is 46; New Zealand's powerplay of 48 for 1 wicket marginally exceeded that and gave them a solid base. Their middle overs were the problem: 52 runs for 5 wickets is well below what a 165-run chase requires from overs 7 to 15. The death overs yielded 57 runs for 3 wickets, an aggressive late push that nearly worked but fell 7 short. Teams electing to field after winning the toss do so 72% of the time at Eden Park, and the chase success rate across this venue's T20 history stands at 55%, so New Zealand's decision was statistically reasonable. It simply did not come off.
How to watch
West Indies and New Zealand T20I fixtures are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming available through Sky Go and the NOW TV streaming service. For series taking place in New Zealand, matches often fall in late evening UK time given the time difference of approximately 13 hours ahead of GMT. Checking the Sky Sports schedule directly is the best way to confirm exact UK kick-off times for any remaining matches in this series.
Recent form
West Indies arrived at Eden Park in reasonable shape. Their five most recent T20I results included three wins against Bangladesh, though they had also lost twice to the same opponents. Three wins from five is a moderate run of form rather than an outstanding one, but it gave them some confidence heading into a series against a stronger New Zealand side.
New Zealand's recent form was slightly better on paper: three wins from four completed T20Is against England, with one no-result. They had beaten England in three consecutive matches before this fixture, suggesting a settled unit playing at home. Their inability to close out the Eden Park chase will be the more disappointing result in that context. The middle-overs collapse of 5 wickets for 52 runs points to a specific batting vulnerability that West Indies' bowling exploited effectively.
