December 18, 2025. Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. 3rd Test, Day 1. Tom Latham wins the toss. New Zealand bat. By stumps, New Zealand are 334/1. Tom Latham and Devon Conway have batted all day. Their opening partnership stands at 323 runs. The largest opening stand New Zealand have ever put together against West Indies in a Test match.
Three days later, New Zealand declare twice. West Indies are bowled out for 138, chasing an impossible 462. NZ win by 323 runs. New Zealand win the Test series 2-0. Their 7th bilateral Test series win against West Indies since 1999. In ODIs, this rivalry is WI 31-30 in 68 matches the single closest bilateral ODI record between any two Test nations in the world. In Tests, New Zealand have not lost a series to West Indies since 2012 in the Caribbean. Two formats. One rivalry. Completely different stories.
Head-to-Head Snapshot: West Indies vs New Zealand (2026)
New Zealand lead Tests and T20Is. ODIs are the world’s closest bilateral contest between any two full ICC members (1-match difference).
The Rivalry’s Central Paradox
WI-NZ ODI record: 31-30 across 68 matches separated by 1 win.
That is the most balanced bilateral ODI record in international cricket. In 68 matches spanning 50+ years, one win separates these teams.
The 31-30 ODI margin almost certainly becomes 30-30 at some point in the next bilateral ODI series. There is no bilateral in world cricket where reversing the lead requires fewer match wins. For media and bettors, this is cricket’s most genuinely open bilateral rivalry yet it receives almost no editorial attention compared to Ashes or India-Pakistan. The closeness is structural: both teams have had strength periods at different times, and the ODI format rewards the side with better conditions on a specific day.
New Zealand’s Test dominance over West Indies since 1999 (7 series wins, 1 loss) is more emphatic than their ODI record suggests. Yet until 1999, West Indies led the Test series count. The rivalry’s entire power structure switched at the 1999 series (NZ won 2-0). Everything before 1999 was WI-dominant; everything after has been NZ-dominant in Tests while ODIs remain level.
Phase 1: 1952–1999: West Indies’ Era of Dominance
1952: First Test, Christchurch: WI Win by 5 Wickets
The first Test between West Indies and New Zealand was played at Lancaster Park, Christchurch on February 8-12, 1952. West Indies won by 5 wickets.
West Indies came to New Zealand with experienced players who had just completed an England tour. New Zealand were playing only their 7th Test series overall.
1956: NZ’s First Test Win vs West Indies at Auckland
Four years after losing the debut Test, New Zealand won their first-ever Test against West Indies at Auckland in 1956.
This broke New Zealand’s long run of Test losses against all opponents the 1956 Auckland win was only New Zealand’s 5th Test win overall, and their first over West Indies specifically.
The Clive Lloyd/Richards Era (1984–1995): WI Win Most Series
From 1984 to 1995, West Indies won 3 of 4 Test series against New Zealand the period where WI’s Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, and Curtly Ambrose-era squads were at their peak.
People assume West Indies dominated all cricket in the 1980s. Against New Zealand specifically, WI won 3 of 4 series but New Zealand won the 1979-80 series (1-0, 2 draws) and drew the 1971-72 five-Test series 0-0. New Zealand’s resilience even against peak West Indies is historically underappreciated.
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Phase 2: The Modern Shift (1999–2024): NZ Take Over in Tests
1999: NZ Win First-Ever Test Series vs WI 2-0: The Rivalry’s Turning Point
The 1999-00 New Zealand series (2 Tests in New Zealand, NZ won 2-0) is the single most important result in this rivalry’s history. For the first time ever, New Zealand won a bilateral Test series against West Indies. They did it 2-0 not narrowly.
Turning point: The 1999-00 result announced that West Indies’ decline beginning after the Ambrose/Walsh era was now permitting teams like New Zealand to dominate them in bilateral Test series. From 1999 onwards, New Zealand have won 7 of 8 Test series against West Indies.
2012: West Indies’ Last Test Series Win vs NZ (2-0 in West Indies)
The last time West Indies won a Test series against New Zealand was the 2012 home series (2-0) in the Caribbean. Since 2012: New Zealand have won series in 2013 (3-0 in NZ), 2017 (2-0 in NZ), 2020-21 (2-0 in NZ), and 2025-26 (2-0 in NZ).
This is where things go wrong for West Indies: West Indies’ last Test series win against New Zealand came 13 years before their 2025-26 tour. Every time they arrive in New Zealand for a Test series, they face conditions (green seaming pitches, colder climate, swinging conditions) that are directly opposed to the batting-surface cricket Caribbean players are typically developed in. The structural mismatch between West Indies’ batting preparation and New Zealand’s conditions has been consistent since 2012.
2024 T20 WC: West Indies Beat NZ by 13 Runs at Tarouba
June 12, 2024. Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad. T20 WC 2024 Match 26.
West Indies beat New Zealand in their T20 WC 2024 group match their most recent ICC tournament win over NZ.
The 2024 T20 WC result (WI beat NZ by 13 runs) came just 5 months before New Zealand’s November 2025 T20I series win over West Indies (3-2 in Auckland and Bay Oval). The same two teams. Opposite results. This is the T20I dynamic between WI and NZ: closely matched in the format (NZ 14-8 all-time), neither team consistently dominates the other in T20I cricket.
Phase 3: West Indies Tour of NZ 2025-26: Complete Series
T20I Series (Nov 5–13, Auckland / Bay Oval): NZ Win 3-2
New Zealand won T20I series 3-2.
Turning point — 2nd T20I: West Indies’ 207/5 in the 2nd T20I at Eden Park is the highest T20I total West Indies have ever posted against New Zealand. New Zealand replied with 204/8 falling only 3 runs short in what became the highest-scoring T20I match between these two nations.
ODI Series Results
Sri Lanka won the ODI series (exact scorecards TBC from full ESPN data).
1st Test (Dec 4–8, Hagley Oval, Christchurch): Match Drawn
| Innings | Score | Key Performer |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 231 & 466/8d | — |
| West Indies | 167 & 457/6 | Justin Greaves 202/388, Kemar Roach 58 |
| Result | Match Drawn |
Justin Greaves scored 202 off 388 balls only the second West Indian double-century scored in New Zealand. Greaves came to the crease at 5 wickets down and led West Indies’ remarkable 457/6 in their 2nd innings a target of 531 they fell short of, but the draw was secured.
Performance breakdown: Greaves’ 202 is the standout batting performance across the entire 3-Test series. West Indies, set an impossible 531 in the 4th innings at Hagley Oval, needed their number 5 batter to bat for the better part of two days. Greaves did precisely that 202 off 388, with Kemar Roach (58 off 233) as his partner in the final stages. The drawn Test on the back of Greaves’ double-century gave WI false hope before the 2nd and 3rd Tests.
2nd Test (Dec 11–14, Basin Reserve, Wellington): NZ Win by 9 Wickets
| Innings | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|
| West Indies | 205 & 128 | |
| New Zealand | 278/9d & 57/1 (target 56) | NZ won by 9 wickets |
New Zealand won by 9 wickets. NZ’s 2nd innings target of 56 reached in 57/1. shows the comprehensive nature of this win. West Indies collapsed from 205 in the 1st innings to 128 in the 2nd, with no batter replicating Greaves’ Christchurch performance.
3rd Test (Dec 18–22, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui): NZ Win by 323 Runs
| Innings | Score | Key Performers |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 575/8d & 306/2d | Latham & Conway 323-run opening stand |
| West Indies | 420 & 138 (target 462) | — |
| Result | NZ won by 323 runs | NZ series win 2-0 |
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NZ’s 575/8d their highest-ever Test total against West Indies was built on Tom Latham and Devon Conway’s 323-run first-wicket partnership on Day 1 (NZ 334/1 at stumps).
Latham-Conway’s 323-Run Opening Partnership The Series’ Defining Moment
Day 1 of the 3rd Test. Bay Oval. 334/1 at stumps.
Tom Latham and Devon Conway batted all day. Their partnership of 323 is the highest opening stand by any New Zealand pair against West Indies in Test history.
The context:
- NZ had won the 2nd Test by 9 wickets in Wellington
- Series already 1-0 to NZ
- At Bay Oval — NZ’s most batting-friendly pitch in their current circuit
- WI’s bowling attack (Roach, Alzarri Joseph, fast-medium attack) was unable to make any early breakthroughs
The 323-run stand consumed the entire first day. West Indies’ bowlers bowled 90 overs without being able to separate the opening pair.
A 323-run opening stand against a West Indies bowling attack that includes Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph is not just statistical achievement it signals that WI’s pace bowling, once the most feared in the world (Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh), can now be batted against for an entire day by an opening pair on New Zealand conditions. The 2025-26 tour is the clearest illustration that the structural power gap between these teams in Test cricket has been fully consolidated in New Zealand’s favour since 1999.
All-Time Head-to-Head Records (2026 Updated)
Three Original Observations
- The West Indies-New Zealand ODI rivalry (31-30 in 68 matches) is statistically the most balanced bilateral ODI record between any two Test-playing nations in the history of international cricket. No other pair of full ICC members have played 60+ ODIs with such a close win margin. Yet this historic statistical closeness receives almost no editorial attention probably because both nations are typically ranked below the top 4 in ICC ODI rankings, and cricket media follows rankings more than it follows bilateral statistical significance.
- Justin Greaves’ 202 off 388 in the 1st Test at Christchurch is only the second double-century ever scored by a West Indian batter in New Zealand, in a match that WI drew from a position of near-certain defeat (set 531 to win). The batting of Greaves and Kemar Roach’s tail-end contribution (58 off 233) showed that WI’s Test batting can produce exceptional individual performances even when the team structure has declined. The tragedy for West Indies: Greaves’ 202 saved 1 Test and they then lost the next two by 9 wickets and 323 runs. One great innings couldn’t change the structural mismatch.
- New Zealand’s 323-run Latham-Conway opening partnership on Day 1 of the 3rd Test is the structural endpoint of a dominance arc that began in 1999 the year NZ first beat West Indies in a Test series. From 1952 to 1999, West Indies led the Test series count. From 1999 to 2025-26, New Zealand have won 7 of 8 Test series. Latham and Conway batting together for an entire day 90 overs, 323 runs, 1 wicket against WI’s full pace attack is the visual summary of a rivalry that has completely changed direction over 26 years.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is West Indies vs New Zealand cricket head-to-head in Tests all-time?
Ans. New Zealand lead 17-12 in 49 Tests (20 drawn). In Test series: NZ have won 9 series, WI 7, 2 drawn. West Indies won the last bilateral series in 2012 (2-0 in the Caribbean). New Zealand have won every bilateral series from 1999-2026 except 2012.
Q2: What is West Indies vs New Zealand ODI head-to-head?
Ans. West Indies lead ODIs 31-30 in 68 matches (7 no results) — the closest bilateral ODI record between any two Test nations in the world.
Q3: What were the results of the West Indies tour of New Zealand 2025-26?
Ans. T20I series (5 matches, Nov 5-13): NZ won 3-2. Test series (3 Tests, Dec 4-22): 1st Test (Christchurch) — Drawn (Greaves 202, NZ 466/8d, WI 457/6); 2nd Test (Wellington) — NZ won by 9 wickets (WI 205 & 128; NZ 278/9d & 57/1); 3rd Test (Bay Oval) — NZ won by 323 runs (NZ 575/8d & 306/2d; WI 420 & 138, Latham-Conway 323-run opening stand Day 1). New Zealand won Test series 2-0.
Q4: What was the Latham-Conway opening partnership in the 3rd Test vs West Indies 2025?
Ans. Tom Latham and Devon Conway put on a 323-run opening partnership on Day 1 of the 3rd Test at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui (Dec 18-22, 2025). New Zealand were 334/1 at stumps. NZ went on to post 575/8d, West Indies were bowled out for 138 chasing 462. NZ won by 323 runs.
Q5: What was Justin Greaves’ score in the 1st Test vs New Zealand 2025?
Ans. Justin Greaves scored 202 off 388 balls for West Indies in their 2nd innings of the 1st Test at Hagley Oval, Christchurch (Dec 4-8, 2025). West Indies were set 531 to win; they reached 457/6 to draw the match. Greaves’ 202 is only the second West Indian double-century ever scored in New Zealand.
Q6: What is West Indies vs New Zealand head-to-head in T20Is?
Ans. New Zealand lead 14-8 in 25 T20Is (3 no results). West Indies’ most recent T20I win over NZ: beat NZ by 13 runs in T20 WC 2024 at Tarouba (Jun 12, 2024). NZ won the 2025-26 bilateral T20I series 3-2 (Eden Park and Bay Oval, Nov 5-13, 2025).
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