West Indies captain Shai Hope said his team will be fully focused on levelling the series when they head to Dunedin for the final T20I tomorrow, after yesterday’s fourth match at Saxton Oval was washed out without a result.
Persistent rain limited play to just 6.3 overs before the umpires were forced to call off the contest, leaving New Zealand with an unassailable 2–1 lead in the five-match series.
West Indies, 38 for one when the showers returned, will now have one last opportunity to square the five-match series.
“Yeah, we didn’t really get a chance to maximise this game,” Hope said after the abandoned fixture.
“But we’ve still got a chance to level this series, and that’s our main focus for the next one.”
The visitors had shown early signs of intent before the weather intervened.
Openers Alick Athanaze and Amir Jangoo were watchful at the start, managing only five runs from the first two overs, before Athanaze counter-attacked with a flurry of boundaries—including two sixes—to push the score to 30 without loss after five overs when the rain arrived.
However, once play resumed following the first rain delay, New Zealand struck immediately when James Neesham removed Athanaze for 21, caught at mid-on after a mistimed drive.
Only seven more deliveries were bowled before the heavens opened again, ending any hopes of a full game.
Jangoo was unbeaten on 12, while Hope was three not out when play was abandoned after two hours of steady rain.
Despite the frustrating end to the contest, both captains reflected positively on what has been a competitive series.
Hope praised the resilience of his side, saying he was encouraged by their progress.
“It’s great to see the fight that we’ve been showing. Unfortunately, we didn’t win those last two games, but every time you put yourself in those positions, you’ve got a chance to win. So I’m very happy with the progress that we’re making,” he said.
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner, who had opted to bowl first in overcast conditions, said his team also took valuable lessons from the truncated encounter.
“With the overcast conditions, it was quite nice—the ball was swinging a bit,” Santner noted.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t get a full game in, but it’s probably going to be another close one in Dunedin, given how the series has gone.”