Roston Chase did not bother hiding his frustration. “Very disappointing for us after the bowlers put up their hands and brought us back,” the West Indies captain said, moments after a nine-wicket defeat in Wellington had left his side still looking for a first Test victory in New Zealand since 1995.
The result never looked so inevitable on the third morning. Having been dismissed for 205, West Indies’ attack – led by the tidy seam of Kemar Roach and the hustle of Alzarri Joseph – limited New Zealand to 278. That left the Test delicately poised. By tea, however, it was all but over: West Indies were hustled out for 128 on a surface Chase felt had actually eased.
“We were in a good position up to this morning, even though in the first innings we thought that we should have got some more runs,” he said. “A number of batsmen getting some starts, but we didn’t really convert into anything big. We left some runs up there in the first innings, and we thought that we would have gotten those runs in the second innings, but it didn’t happen. So very disappointing for us after the bowlers really put up their hands and brought us back into the game.
“I still thought that the pitch was one that we could score runs on. Personally, I thought it was not as tough as the first game. I thought the first innings in [the first Test in] Christchurch, the ball was doing a whole lot, but I didn’t think that was the case here. I just thought we just made some mistakes at some crucial points in the game, and we just never really got our foot back into the game today.”
Seven West Indian batters crossed 20 across the match, yet none reached fifty; Shai Hope’s 47 was the best. The pattern has been familiar all tour, and Chase is running out of patience.
“You have to work very hard to get that start,” he said. “It’s just about buckling down and having that determination to carry it. You will get good balls, but I think sometimes we just give it away a little too easy when we get to the 30s and the 40s. But especially in New Zealand, we know the first innings is very crucial. If you can get a good first-innings total where the ball is moving around a lot more and [there’s] a lot of green on the wicket, that puts you in a commanding position to have a chance at winning the game.”
Accountability is a word the captain used often. “When we do sit and chat after games, we sit and we discuss those things. We try to hold everyone accountable for their actions. But not only just talking, we need to find ways out there in the middle to combat what is being thrown at us.”
The West Indies camp will also point to positives. The bowlers have consistently found assistance, even after the new-ball spell, and Chase believes that gives them a realistic shot in the final Test.
“The last time we won in New Zealand was in 1995, so we want to leave here with a win. We still think that we are capable enough to get a win, but it’s just for us to be consistent, because the bowlers have shown that they’re capable of getting us those ten wickets or 20 wickets that we need to get.”
New Zealand, for their part, were happy to let West Indies’ mistakes drive the narrative. A measured opening stand from Tom Latham and Will Young rendered the modest target little more than a formality. Kiwi batting consultant Luke Ronchi later observed that “once the shine went off the ball it got a lot easier”, a simple sentence that underlined Chase’s point about squandered opportunity.
What next? A short turnaround and another green pitch – Hamilton traditionally offers seamers as much as Wellington – look certain. Chase’s message will not change: value starts, convert them, back the bowlers. Simple ideas, difficult execution.
If West Indies manage it, they will take something tangible home. Fail again, and a 30-year wait will rumble on.
