NZ VS WI - 2nd Test, West Indies tour of New Zealand, 2025

After a gritty fight with the bat for close to two days in Christchurch where they batted 163.3 overs in the fourth innings, West Indies lasted just 121.2 overs across both innings in this Test. The ball nibbled around throughout the match but there was no extravagant movement and the Windies batters had to show better application, which they didn't particularly in the second innings. New Zealand will be delighted with their performance. Just like the previous Test, they were a bowler down in the second innings but thanks to Duffy, they made light work of West Indies. They were made to toil hard in the first Test but they get two extra days of rest heading into the third Test which commences on December 18th at the Bay Oval. We'll be there to bring you all the action. For now, it's goodbye from Abhinand Raghavendran, Akshay Maanay, Raju Peethala and Harish.

Tom Latham | New Zealand skipper: We sort of got better and better. We probably took a little bit to get up to the game in the morning of day one. Obviously, there was particularly some weary legs, a bit of a hangover from the first Test. But we got better and better. And then obviously in the second innings, I thought we bowled fantastically well and sort of adjusted things a little bit in terms of how we wanted to operate. And obviously the guys did a fantastic job today to get the rewards. And obviously Duff on the back of that and also some key moments with 12 men coming on and providing some massive impact. Obviously pleasing to be on the right side this week. (On the debutants) Mitch (Hay), he played beautifully in that first innings, obviously coming in under a little bit of pressure. The way he played is pretty much the way he's been playing for Canterbury. And that's what we ask, for those guys to come in and perform the way they've been performing for Canterbury. Mitch played fantastically well. And, Michael (Rae) to pick up some really important wickets on day one and also today. All those efforts certainly don't go unnoticed in our group. Really happy for them to get their first game, but also get their first win. You look at the group, you go back 12 months, there's a lot of new faces in there. And some guys that are stepping up is great from our point of view. To see Ticks (Blair Tickner) go down in that first innings was really disappointing. The way that he bowled, it's worth acknowledging. What he brought to that game in that first innings, the way he ran in, he had a massive presence, put the ball in the right areas and did a great job for us. Gutted for him but the performance was great. We weren't where we wanted to be with the bat but we know the areas that we need to do be better. And hopefully we can do that heading into next week.

Roston Chase | West Indies skipper: It (Batting) was a bit of a concern after coming from that Test match having the beautiful second innings. I thought we came here and our batters never capitalised on the conditions. I thought we got some starts in the first innings but no one really went big. And then in the second innings, no one really got the start. So I think that's very, very wrong. Conditions were a little bit different, probably not quite what either team expected here at the Basin Reserve. I'm not saying it's something that we struggled with, but initially we thought that the pitch would have been similar to Christchurch's. Because usually you get a lot of bounce here, especially with the green wicket and stuff. But I thought that this wicket was a lot easier, sounded a lot easier than the first Christchurch wicket. I thought it was easier for batting, but the scores didn't reflect that. We still have a Test match left and we can level the series. So that's all to play for. I don't think that we need to go and motivate the guys further. It's right there in the open for everyone to see if we have one more match. So I think that you can come out and still level this series and play some good cricket. Talent's there and the enthusiasm is too.

Jacob Duffy | Player of the Match: Yeah, it was (a solid effort). Very much so. Losing Tickner like that wasn’t ideal - he bowled brilliantly in the first innings - but I thought the way the guys stepped up today was outstanding. Rae was brilliant, Foulky did his thing and Daryl chipped in as well. Just a great team performance to get the job done. First thought was obviously for Blair, no one wants to see that, especially after how well he bowled. Then the second thought was my own body, I didn’t want a repeat of last week! But no, it was good to wrap it up quickly, and now we move on to the next one. (On his back to back 5-fers) Time in the saddle definitely helps. Feeling comfortable at this level is a big part of it too. Just bringing my best stuff out - whether that’s swinging the ball or doing the tough, ugly overs. The more you do it, the more comfortable you feel and you chip away at that imposter syndrome. You start to feel like you belong which is a nice feeling. He’s (Rae) a good mate of mine and I’m absolutely stoked for him. We’ve both been working toward this for a long time. Six wickets on debut is no small achievement. He was brilliant. And to do what he did today - slogging into the wind so I could come down with the breeze - I really appreciated that. Hopefully it’s just the start for him.

Beyond belief. If there is one cricketing nation that can assume that tag seamlessly, it has to be the West Indies. While the first Test was all about their awe-inspiring comeback with the bat, this game was anything but that. Put into bat on a decent batting wicket, they lost 4 wickets in the first two sessions, and appeared to be in a decent position to post a healthy first innings score. Not to be. And in their second essay, they found another route to collapse. First a needless run-out of King, and then some shoddy shot-selection and obviously all that determined fight from the first Test was nowhere to be seen. That said, Jacob Duffy deserves a cream of the credit for this early finish. Having lost Tickner to injury, the man from Otago bowled good gas and had the batters dancing back and forth with his decisive spell. He appeared to have come out with real zeal today morning and shut the comeback window for the visitors.

15:31 Local Time, 02:31 GMT, 08:01 IST: New Zealand take a 1-0 lead by winning this Wellington Test inside 3 days. Opting to field, they bowled out their opponents for 205 on the opening day. Tickner was the pick of the bowlers but he unfortunately dislocated his shoulder which didn't allow him to take any further part in the Test. Just like WI's innings, a lot of the NZ batters got starts and there were a couple of half-centurions (Conway and Hay) as well but thanks to the lower order contribution, they managed to take a 73-run lead. WI hardly put up a fight in their second dig. After losing 2 wickets in the 10-over phase before stumps on day two, they started on a solid note this morning as they didn't lose a single wicket in the first half an hour. But a mix-up resulted in King getting run-out and that upset the apple cart. Jacob Duffy kept troubling the batters to pick his second fifer in as many matches and debutant Rae was impressive with two three-fers in this Test. Chasing an easy target, they wrapped up the proceedings in 10 overs.

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, FOUR, Williamson hits the winning runs! Waist high short ball, Williamson spots the length early and slams the pull over square leg for a one-bounce four. The Kiwis win by 9 wickets

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, FOUR, 127.9kph, shortish outside off, Williamson fetches it from there to pull it away through midwicket

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, no run, 131.1kph, fullish on leg, Williamson looks to clip it away but gets a soft leading edge to the right of the non-striker

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, no ball, fuller and angling in, defended back

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, FOUR, good shot! Short and wide, Williamson latches onto it on this occasion. Waits on the back foot and cuts hard to the right of the point fielder

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, no run, full and shaping away outside off, left alone

Anderson Phillip to Williamson, no run, 129.4kph, Williamson sees the width and cuts, finds the man at shortish point

Ojay Shields to Conway, FOUR, stylish stroke! Short ball with no venom and Conway brings his wrists into play to pull it in front of square on the leg-side. Three boundaries in the over

Ojay Shields to Conway, wide, too wide outside off, ignored

Ojay Shields to Conway, FOUR, oh wow, he's managed to find the gap! Shortish outside off, Conway hops and decides to play at the last moment. Not only does he play late but also turns the bat at the right moment to guide it along the ground between third slip and fourth slip

Ojay Shields to Conway, no run, 134.7kph, back of a length angling in and cramping the batter for room, Conway hops and awkwardly defends. The bottom hand comes off the bat handle as it hits him high on the bat

Ojay Shields to Conway, FOUR, 133.7kph, shortish ball, no real pace or bounce to trouble the batter. Conway fetches it from outside off and hammers the pull through midwicket

Ojay Shields to Conway, no run, 128.5kph, Conway misses the clip/tuck against this in-slanter and the ball rolls to square leg off his pad

Ojay Shields to Conway, no run, overcorrects and darts one down the leg-side now