Low-scoring thriller: Chapman, Santner lead NZ home

New Zealand won a tense, low-scoring game with Mark Chapman leading with the bat and Mitchell Santner starring with the ball to seal the series. Low-scoring thriller Runs were hard to come by. It came down to the wire with both teams fighting for every run. Mark Chapman held the innings together under pressure and played the key knock to get NZ over the line. Santner delivers Mitchell Santner was crucial — chipping in with important wickets and keeping things tight to restrict the opposition. The win gave NZ the series, with Chapman and Santner the standout performers in a proper scrap. Grit over glamour. Chapman’s calm batting + Santner’s clutch bowling saw New Zealand through a nail-biter to take the series. The man who got them over the line was Mitchell Santner, their captain, who marshalled the lower order to make a steely unbeaten 34 not out. His batting partner, Jayden Lennox also played no small part. Having been player of the match for the last two games for his bowling exploits, the No. 11 blunted 10 deliveries during his unbeaten nine-run stand with Santner to help seal the win. With three runs needed, West Indies had the opportunity to deliver the knockout blow when Jayden Seales foxed Santner with a superb slower-delivery. Early into a check drive, Santner only managed to lob it over extra cover. Ackeen Auguste - running back from inside the ring - and Justin Greaves - coming in from the sweeper cover boundary - collided and put down the chance. Santner seals it in drama Off Vitel Lawes in the 44th, Santner survived a close LBW appeal — replays showed it pitched marginally outside off. Then off Seales first ball of the 45th, with the field up, Santner miscued a loft over cover for the winning runs. Mark Chapman was NZ’s anchor with 80 off 82 balls — one of only two half-centuries in the match. He came in at 6/2 in the 3rd over and built handy stands with Will Young and Tom Latham to get NZ back on track. After Young and Latham fell, NZ slipped to 77/4 and the chase got tight again. Santner’s late hit was what got them home. Auguste, who took 19 deliveries to get off the mark, became Santner's second wicket soon after and West Indies were on a freefall. With the innings in danger of folding, Amir Jangoo and Gudakesh Motie dug deep and stitched together a superb 81-run stand to give West Indies some hope. And they made a mighty good fist of it in the end, only to rue not batting out the overs that may have given them the extra runs needed to seal a series-levelling win. New Zealand 189 for 9 (Chapman 80, Santner 34*, Motie 5-47) beat West Indies 188 (Jangoo 51, Motie 41, Fisher 3-40, Santner 2-36) by one wicket