Guyana: New Zealand produced another decent all-round performance to beat the West Indies by six wickets in the third ODI at the Providence Stadium on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
After another dominant bowling display restricted the hosts to 140, the Black Caps chased down a modest target in the 40th over despite a challenging spin-friendly surface.
Spinner Jayden Lennox was back in action with the ball, following up his first five-wicket haul in the second ODI with figures of 4/52, while the batsmen comfortably guided New Zealand to victory.
New Zealand, who elected to bowl first after winning the toss, made an early breakthrough after West Indies suffered a major setback when opener John Campbell injured his left hamstring while taking a quick single in the sixth over. The left-hander was stretchered off the field and did not bat again.
Akeem Auguste looked confident as he was bowled out for 26 before Mitchell Santner delivered a brilliant running catch at mid-off to dismiss him.
Santner and Lennox then tightened the screws in the middle overs, with the latter dismissing skipper Shai Hope as West Indies slipped to 72-3 in 20 overs. Sherfan Rutherford got out cheaply, leaving Keezy Cardy and Shimron Hetmyer to rebuild the innings.
The pair briefly revived the hosts, with Cardi hitting routine boundaries and Hetmyer removing Lennox from the ropes twice. However, the recovery proved short-lived.
West Indies slumped dramatically from 121-3 – 121-4 after Campbell’s injury – to 140 all out.
Michael Bracewell triggered the collapse by trapping Cardy lbw on 48. Hetmyer was dismissed for 26 runs. Lennox raced down the order, dismissing Keemo Paul, Kudakesh Moti and Alsari Joseph, while Santner took the final wicket of Gary Pierre.
New Zealand started the chase cautiously, reaching just 27-0 in nine overs, with Henry Nicholls hitting successive boundaries off Joseph.
Teenage left-arm wrist spinner Whittell Laws bowled Nicholls and dropped Mark Chapman for 7 runs.
Will Young also fell to Laws after a patient start, while Gary Beare dismissed Terrill Mitchell and left New Zealand.
Captain Tom Latham and Dean Foxcroft sealed the innings with a fifth wicket partnership. Despite the limited boundaries on the slow surface, the pair rotated the strike effectively and gradually reached the target.
Latham eventually broke the nine-over drought with a sweep shot before Foxcroft added another boundary as the pair brought up a crucial 50.
Reaching the target in 63 balls, New Zealand won by six wickets to clinch the ODI series.