New Zealand crush West Indies at Mount Maunganui as late collapse seals series sweep

New Zealand completed a dominant 323-run victory over West Indies in the second Test at the Bay Oval after a dramatic final-day collapse saw the visitors tumble from 87 without loss to 138 all out.

Chasing an improbable 462 for victory, West Indies appeared steady early on the fifth morning before the match turned sharply after the drinks break. Eight wickets fell for just 25 runs as New Zealand’s bowlers exploited a rapidly deteriorating surface to close out the game and secure a 2–0 series win.

Jacob Duffy was the standout, claiming 5 for 42 to finish the series with 23 wickets, the most by a New Zealand bowler in a single home series. His haul also took him past Sir Richard Hadlee’s record for most wickets by a Black Caps bowler in a calendar year. Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel provided relentless support, taking 3 for 23 and bowling unchanged for long spells as the pitch broke up alarmingly.

The Bay Oval surface, unique in New Zealand conditions, proved increasingly treacherous as the match wore on. Once a good batting wicket, it deteriorated into an uneven, cracked surface offering sharp turn and variable bounce. Patel extracted up to 15.8 degrees of turn, making survival in the fourth innings far harder than it had appeared earlier in the match.

Shai Hope’s dismissal epitomised West Indies’ unraveling. He was trapped lbw by Patel for 3 off 78 balls after being struck by a full toss he chose to leave, believing it would spin past leg stump. A late review confirmed the ball would have hit, leaving Hope stunned as New Zealand’s aggressive close-in fielding paid off.

Brandon King top-scored with a fighting 67, but he received little support. The final eight West Indies batters all fell for single-digit scores, including captain Roston Chase, who ended the tour with just 42 runs at an average of seven.

Earlier, New Zealand had put the match firmly beyond reach with two commanding batting performances. They declared their first innings on 575 for 8, built around Devon Conway’s 227 and Tom Latham’s 137. A second declaration followed at 306 for 2, with both Latham (101) and Conway (100) again reaching centuries, prompting questions about whether New Zealand had declared too cautiously. In the end, the state of the pitch rendered those concerns moot.

Duffy and Patel bowled nearly 70 percent of New Zealand’s overs in the final innings, combining accuracy, variation and intelligence to dismantle the West Indies line-up.

The victory lifts New Zealand to second place on the World Test Championship table and caps a commanding home summer. It may also mark the final home Test for Kane Williamson. The former captain has hinted at an uncertain future, with commitments away from the national side and no clear plans beyond the holiday period.

For now, New Zealand celebrate a comprehensive series win. For West Indies, the tour ends with more questions than answers after another stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in Test cricket.