Mitchell Santner (New Zealand Captain): "I was absolutely thrilled with the win, especially with one game still left in the series. (Laughs) A few of the boys woke up thinking the rain might wash everything out, and they could focus on golf tomorrow, but the team showed up brilliantly once the game began. The hard work was done up front, and the new ball was really tricky, and my bowlers used that perfectly to set the tone.
It was a tough ground to defend with a fast outfield and only four outside the circle, but the group stuck to their plans. Winning the toss helped as conditions eased out later; once the ball got a bit older, it flattened nicely. Nathan and Henry did well in extracting everything out of the new ball, and wickets became harder as the innings progressed.
Shai Hope played superbly, scored a well-timed hundred, and he judged the conditions beautifully. But the brilliant start from Conway and Rachin, who battled through a tricky initial phase before taking control and giving New Zealand the perfect platform.
On the West Indies’ total of around 248, I thought it was a good score, especially given how well they batted in the last 20-25 overs. But in a 34-over match with only four outside the ring, there are scoring opportunities everywhere, and I always believed that if they got a solid start, they could chase it down. In the end, the side backed themselves and finished the job confidently."