Mitchell's gritty 119 helps New Zealand eke out close win

Daryl Mitchell, like many members of the New Zealand team, is not known for exuberant displays of emotion on a cricket. But after battling to a century at the Hagley Oval in the first ODI against the West Indies, he let out a roar. His seventh ODI ton, a 119 on a tough, two-paced wicket hauled New Zealand to 269, which they just about managed to defend by seven runs to claim an early lead in the series.

West Indies were competitive for large parts of this fixture after opting to bowl first. They replaced three spinners from their last assignment with three seamers with Matthew Forde the pick of the lot in the opening exchanges. Forde was on a hat-trick in the seventh over, removing Rachin Ravindra for 4 and Will Young for a golden duck in his 50th ODI. At 24 for 2 in the seventh over, New Zealand were stuck on a pitch offering constant nibble.

Mitchell walked in and countered by using his feet, taking away the seamers' movement and lifting the scoring rate. Devon Conway's scratchy but vital 49 off 58 also helped the hosts recover to 91 for 2, but the innings stalled again as West Indies tightened up. Roston Chase led that squeeze, using the wind superbly with drift and impeccable length. He went around the wicket, denied New Zealand anything full, and repeatedly tied them down. Chase finished with just one wicket but created multiple chances, three of which were spilled, including two reprieves for Michael Bracewell, who added a crucial 35 off 52.

New Zealand were 192 for 5 in the 42nd over when Mitchell, on 79, pulled up with a left-leg issue and was forced to hit without much running. The injury didn't stop him. He cleared the straight boundaries with trademark power and moved through the gears again, bringing up a hard-earned century and finished with 12 fours and a pair of sixes, dragging New Zealand to a competitive total.

Mitchell was dropped twice, on 19 and 67, as West Indies let half-chances slip. His knock, coming after four fifties in his last seven ODIs, was the clear difference in the eventual result with West Indies leading a memorable comeback in the second half of the chase courtesy Sherfanae Rutherford's half-century.

West Indies never adjusted to the conditions. Keacy Carty's 20 off 67 summed up the struggle as swing, seam and bounce combined to stall the innings. They crawled to 32 in the first 10 overs and 59 after 19, with a 30-ball stretch producing only seven scoring shots against Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes. At 138 for 4 in the 35th over, they were well off the pace before Rutherford changed the tempo with a brisk 61-ball 55. Justin Greaves and a hamstrung Romario Shepherd then hit big at the death as New Zealand let slip a bagful of chances.

Even with all the pyrotechnics at the death, West Indies left themselves needing 20 to get off the final over, and the slow start came back to bite them as they fell just short. Kyle Jamieson finished with 3 for 52 for the hosts.

Brief scores: New Zealand 269/7 in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 119; Jayden Seales 3-41) beat West Indies 262/6 in 50 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 55; Kyle Jamieson 3-52) by seven runs.