Conway and Santner outdo Hope's 109 to seal it for New Zealand

Another New Zealand-West Indies game, another last-over finish, another heartbreak for West Indies.

For the longest time, the stars seemed to be aligning for West Indies. After Shai Hope's unbeaten 69-ball 109 took them to 247 for 9 in the rain-reduced 34-overs-a-side contest, the visitors would have fancied their chances. And they were in this, particularly when New Zealand found themselves at 194 for 5, needing another 54 runs off 29 balls. But then, as it has so often happened in the white-ball leg of this tour, Mitchell Santner came clutch and took New Zealand to a five-wicket win, giving them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

With the equation coming down to 40 off 18 deliveries, Santner took on Matthew Forde, who, by then, had gone at only four runs an over. Santner carted Forde for 4, 6, 4 to take 18 runs off the 32nd over. Santner then smashed Shamar Springer for four and six in the second-last over, leaving New Zealand eight runs to win off the 34th.

It could still have been anyone's game, but Jayden Seales bowled a chest-high no-ball, which Tom Latham calmly glided over the wicketkeeper. Then Santner fittingly sealed the chase with a crash through extra cover as New Zealand prevailed with three balls to spare. Seales was distraught, flinging his cap to the floor, sinking to it himself, and needing help from several of his team-mates to come off the field.

As has been the case all through the series, the second ODI ebbed and flowed all the way through. Chasing 248, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra found the going tough on a treacherous Napier surface. But once the duo settled down, the runs started to flow. They added 106 runs off 99 balls, New Zealand's first century opening-wicket stand in ODIs in 74 innings since February 2020.

They were quite scratchy early on, though, against some tight West Indies bowling. Forde got the ball to move both ways as Conway played out a maiden first up. Ravindra got going with a couple of runs before Conway got off the mark with a crisp square drive through point. There were a couple of very tight leaves, while both batters were beaten several times outside off with the exaggerated movement as New Zealand squeaked to 13 for 0 after five overs.

Conway took the attacking route when he thrashed Seales through point, while Ravindra deposited him over deep midwicket for the first six of New Zealand's innings. Romario Shepherd was introduced into the attack right after the powerplay, but was unable to stem the flow of runs.

Ravindra, by now in full flow, pulled Forde over cow corner before Conway went after Justin Greaves, pulling him over deep square leg. Springer was dumped over the leg side fence twice in an over as New Zealand started catching up. Ravindra reached his sixth ODI fifty in style by slog sweeping Roston Chase for six.

However, Ravindra fell soon after, when, in a bid to up the scoring rate, he sliced Greaves to backward point, where Chase timed his jump to perfection. Will Young, short of runs, came in at No. 3, and failed to inject any momentum into the chase. He was beaten multiple times, and fell 14 balls into his innings, slog sweeping to deep square leg.

Mark Chapman came and went as the hosts lost three wickets in a hurry. Conway, meanwhile, stood firm and continued to rack up boundaries regularly. He reached his fifty off 54 balls, and stepped on the accelerator with the required rate climbing. Just when it seemed Conway would break his century-drought, he fell for 90, thrashing a cut off Springer straight to point.

With the required rate now past ten an over, Latham and Santner joined forces. They took their time to settle in, targeting the short square boundaries on both sides. It wasn't until the 31st over, with the required rate in excess of 13, when Santner flipped the switch, and, along with Latham, took New Zealand over the line, helping them register their 11th straight bilateral ODI series win at home.

Earlier, West Indies captain Hope showed his class as he single-handedly propelled his team from 130 for 6 in 24 overs to 247 for 9 in 34, on the way notching up his 19th ODI century.

The match, supposed to start at 2pm local time, was delayed by close to three hours due to rain and a wet outfield. When the toss did eventually take place, Santner, with a smirk on his face, had no hesitation in bowling first. From the outset, it was clear that batting would be hard work. Kyle Jamieson got the ball to move heaps as West Indies played out three maidens in the first four overs.

After multiple wafts and across-the-line attempts, Ackeem Auguste pumped Matt Henry straight over his head in what was the first commanding shot of the day in the fifth over. But West Indies soon lost John Campbell, whose difficult innings was ended by Jamieson. He got a length ball to move away from off stump, and Campbell, looking to flay him across the line, only managed a thick leading edge that nestled into deep third's hands.

West Indies, having managed just 18 runs in the reduced powerplay of seven overs, targeted Blair Tickner, brought into the side in place of Jacob Duffy. Auguste first clubbed him over his head before Keacy Carty sliced him over point for four more.

Carty's innings was, however, short-lived as he fell soon to Jamieson, whose opening spell read 5-2-12-2. West Indies continued to go after Tickner as Hope got into his groove. He first hooked Tickner to the vacant deep midwicket fence, and then laced him through covers to bring up 6000 ODI runs. Among his compatriots, only Viv Richards has got to this mark quicker, by one innings (141 vs 142).

West Indies lost Auguste soon, with his attempted pull spooning straight up for Jamieson to take a catch running back from midwicket. That didn't impact Hope and the incoming Sherfane Rutherford, who refused to curb their aggressive instincts. Hope pulled Santner deep over midwicket, while Rutherford thumped Nathan Smith twice into the stands to get West Indies moving again.

However, two quick wickets got New Zealand back into the game. Santner first got rid of Rutherford while Smith breached Chase's defences with a peach of an indipper that decked back to castle his off stump. While Greaves also fell relatively early, Hope continued on his merry way.

He reached his fifty off 42 balls, and just went up a gear. At 130 for 6 after 24 overs, Hope took charge and belted the bowlers all across McLean Park. He got decent support first from Shepherd, who pumped Henry for two sixes in three balls, and then dumped Tickner over deep midwicket.

Once Shepherd fell, Forde took Jamieson to the cleaners, thrashing him for three fours and a six. Hope moved through his 90s in a flash, crashing Henry for back-to-back fours before reaching his first ODI century against New Zealand with the straightest of straight hits in the final over of the innings. Arms aloft, he soaked in the applause, finishing with 13 fours and four sixes. But it wasn't enough.