New Zealand edge past West Indies despite Shepherd’s late fireworks to lead 2-1

Jamieson holds nerve as New Zealand edge West Indies in Nelson thriller to lead 2-1

Kyle Jamieson once again showcased his composure under pressure, defending 12 runs in the final over to guide New Zealand to a tense nine-run win over the West Indies in Nelson. The victory gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series.

Set 178 to win, the West Indies seemed out of the contest at 88/8, but Romario Shepherd’s explosive 49 off 34 balls nearly pulled off a miraculous chase. His late assault, combined with a spirited 78-run ninth-wicket stand with Shamar Springer (39 off 20), brought the visitors back into contention before Jamieson’s cool execution closed the door.

Bowling the final over, Jamieson conceded just two runs from the first four balls and clean-bowled Shepherd on the fifth, sealing the West Indies’ innings at 168. His precision capped a strong bowling effort led by Jacob Duffy (3/34) and Ish Sodhi (3/34), who shared six wickets between them.

Earlier, after opting to bat, New Zealand rode on Devon Conway’s fluent 56 and Daryl Mitchell’s quickfire 41 off 24 to post 177/9 — the lowest first-innings total at the venue in T20Is. Conway and Tim Robinson (23) added 47 for the first wicket, followed by a 50-run stand with Rachin Ravindra (26) to anchor the innings. However, a late collapse saw the hosts lose six wickets for just 33 runs in the final overs.

For the West Indies, Matthew Forde (2/20) and Jason Holder (2/31) impressed with the ball, while Shepherd (1/23) and Springer (1/36) provided good support.

Chasing 178, the visitors stumbled early as Duffy removed Amir Jangoo (5) and skipper Shai Hope (1) in the second over. Despite some resistance from Alick Athanaze (31) and Ackeem Auguste (24), wickets fell regularly. The lower order’s collapse left Shepherd and Springer with a mountain to climb, but their counterattack brought the game alive before Jamieson’s composed final over sealed a thrilling finish.