New Zealand went 1-0 ahead in the three-match ODI series after beating the West Indies by seven runs in the first match at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Sunday. Daryl Mitchell’s 119 from 118 balls became the main reason for New Zealand’s win on a pitch where run-making was tough.New Zealand batted first and finished at 269-7. Mitchell held the innings together after the team slipped early. West Indies captain Shai Hope took four catches behind the stumps, including Rachin Ravindra for 4 and Will Young for a golden duck in the seventh over.Devon Conway made 49 from 58 balls and added a 67-run stand with Mitchell. Michael Bracewell scored 35 and shared a 69-run stand with Mitchell. Mitchell kept going even after he hurt his groin and needed treatment when he was on 79. He reached his fifty in 61 balls and his century in 107 balls, hitting 12 fours and two sixes.West Indies ended at 262-6 while chasing 270. Sherfane Rutherford made 55 from 61 balls. A late unbeaten stand of 53 runs between Justin Greaves (38 off 24) and Romario Shepherd (26 off 19) kept the chase alive till the last over. They needed nine runs from the last two balls bowled by Jacob Duffy but got only one.West Indies struggled early in their innings. John Campbell was out for 4 in the third over. Alick Athenaze (29 off 58) and Keacy Carty (32 off 67) added 60 runs but could not score freely. Hope made 37 off 45 balls before Rutherford increased the pace. He was dismissed in the 46th over.Mitchell said the wicket was not easy to bat on. “It was a tricky surface in terms of the extra bounce some balls had and I guess there wasn’t a fluent way you could go about your one-day innings,” he said. “You had to find a way to find ways to put pressure on them at times and absorb pressure at other times.”Both teams found it difficult to score because the pitch was slow and the breeze made big hits hard.
