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New Zealand and West Indies don’t get the spotlight India vs Australia gets. But this rivalry runs deep. It’s 74 years old, it’s produced two of the most famous ODI semi-finals in World Cup history, and right now, mid-July 2026, the two sides are back on the park in Guyana and Barbados fighting out a five-match ODI series.
I’ve followed this rivalry for two decades, through Richard Hadlee’s overs against Viv Richards, through Brendon McCullum smashing Windies bowling around Eden Park, right up to this week’s low-scoring thriller in Providence. This guide lays out the full timeline, the head-to-head numbers across formats, the World Cup meetings, and where things stand today, July 14, 2026.
One honesty note before we start: for razor-precise all-time leaderboards (exact partnership records, a full list of every Player of the Match award, ball-by-ball best bowling figures across 150+ matches), I’m pointing you to ESPNcricinfo’s Statsguru at the relevant sections. Those numbers update after every single match, and printing a static “final” number here would go stale within days, especially with a live series in progress. Everything else below is checked and current as of today.
New Zealand National Cricket Team vs West Indies Cricket Timeline Table
| Period | Series/Tournament | Venue | Result | Key highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951/52 | First Test series | New Zealand | West Indies won 1-0 (2 Tests) | The rivalry’s opening act. Low, matting-pitch scores. |
| 1955/56 | Test series | New Zealand | West Indies won 3-1 | NZ’s first-ever Test win, by 190 runs at Eden Park, after 26 years as a Test nation. Sonny Ramadhin ran through them everywhere else. |
| 1968/69 | Test series | New Zealand | Drawn 1-1 | Rain wiped out most of the cricket. |
| 1971/72 | Test series | West Indies | Drawn 0-0 (5 Tests) | Lawrence Rowe scored twin centuries on debut. |
| 1975 | ICC World Cup, semi-final | The Oval | West Indies won by 5 wickets | First-ever World Cup meeting. Kallicharan and Greenidge’s 125-run stand chased NZ down. |
| 1979/80 | Test series | New Zealand | New Zealand won 1-0 (3 Tests) | NZ’s one-wicket win at Carisbrook, still one of the tightest finishes in Test history. |
| 1984/85 | Test series | West Indies | West Indies won 2-0 (4 Tests) | Consecutive 10-wicket losses for NZ in the Caribbean heat. |
| 1986/87 | Test series | New Zealand | Drawn 1-1 (3 Tests) | NZ’s Lancaster Park win snapped a long losing run. |
| 1994/95 | Test series | New Zealand | West Indies won 1-0 (2 Tests) | WI’s 660/5 declared at Basin Reserve, still the highest total ever scored against NZ in a Test. |
| 1995/96 | Test series | West Indies | West Indies won 1-0 (2 Tests) | |
| 1999/00 | Test series | New Zealand | New Zealand won 2-0 (2 Tests) | A statement double series win for NZ at home. |
| 2002 | Test series | West Indies | New Zealand won 1-0 (2 Tests) | |
| 2005/06 | Test series | New Zealand | New Zealand won 2-0 (3 Tests) | |
| 2008/09 | Test series | New Zealand | Drawn 0-0 (2 Tests) | |
| 2012 | Test series | West Indies | West Indies won 2-0 (2 Tests) | WI’s last Test series win over NZ to date. |
| 2013/14 | Test series | New Zealand | New Zealand won 2-0 (3 Tests) | |
| 2014 | Test series | West Indies | New Zealand won 2-1 (3 Tests) | NZ’s first Test series win in the Caribbean in decades. |
| 2017/18 | Test series | New Zealand | New Zealand won 2-0 (2 Tests) | |
| 2020/21 | Test series | New Zealand | New Zealand won 2-0 (2 Tests) | Played in a bio-secure bubble during the pandemic. |
| 2025/26 | Test, ODI & T20I tour | New Zealand | NZ won Tests 2-0, ODIs, and T20Is | West Indies’ full tour Down Under; NZ swept white-ball cricket 3-0 in ODIs. |
| Jul 2026 | 5-match ODI series | West Indies | Ongoing, level 1-1 | Current tour: WI won 1st ODI by 7 wickets; NZ leveled with a 5-wicket win in the 2nd ODI after Jayden Lennox’s 5-19. |
Since 2003 alone, the two sides have played seven bilateral ODI series, with New Zealand winning five, West Indies one, and one drawn.
New Zealand National Cricket Team vs West Indies Cricket Team Timeline: Head-to-Head Record
Test matches (as of the end of the 2025/26 series)
| Series played | NZ series wins | WI series wins | Drawn series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
New Zealand has been unbeaten at home in Tests against West Indies since 2013, and has won six of the last seven Test series between the two nations overall. West Indies’ last series win over NZ, home or away, came in 2012.
ODI matches
| Matches (through 2nd ODI, Jul 13 2026) | NZ won | WI won | No result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | 34 | 32 | 7 |
T20I matches (as of the end of the 2025/26 T20I series)
| Matches | NZ won | WI won | No result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 14 | 8 | 3 |
New Zealand’s first-ever meeting with West Indies in the shortest format was a tie, settled by a bowl-out, at Eden Park in February 2006.
Overall picture: across all three formats, New Zealand holds a narrow but consistent edge, built almost entirely in the last 25 years. West Indies had the better of it through the 1950s to the 1990s.
Read More : Sri Lanka national cricket team vs New Zealand national cricket team
Where things stand today: July 14, 2026
There’s no New Zealand vs West Indies match being played today. The teams are mid-way through a five-match ODI series in the Caribbean, and today is a rest day between fixtures.
Here’s the state of play:
- 1st ODI, Providence, Jul 11: West Indies won by 7 wickets, chasing down 268.
- 2nd ODI, Providence, Jul 13: New Zealand won by 5 wickets. Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox took 5 for 19 as West Indies collapsed from 63 without loss to 138 all out, and Tom Latham and Michael Bracewell steadied a wobbly chase to level the series 1-1.
- 3rd ODI, Providence: Thursday, July 16, 2026.
- 4th ODI, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown: Sunday, July 19, 2026.
- 5th ODI, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown: Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
West Indies need this series for 2027 World Cup qualification points. New Zealand, missing several senior quicks to rest and injury, are using it to test their bench. Check ESPNcricinfo’s live scorecard for the 3rd ODI once play starts on the 16th.
New Zealand vs West Indies in ICC tournaments
Cricket World Cup
The two teams’ most famous meeting is still their first one: the 1975 semi-final at The Oval, the very first World Cup semi-final ever played. West Indies won by 5 wickets, powered by a 125-run stand between Alvin Kallicharan and Gordon Greenidge, and went on to win the inaugural title.
They’ve also crossed paths in World Cup group and Super Six/Super Eight stages across multiple editions since (1979, 1987, 1996, 2003, among others), though none carried the weight of that first semi-final. New Zealand reached the final in both 2015 and 2019 without West Indies in the way; West Indies’ own World Cup peak (back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1979) predates most of their meetings with New Zealand in the tournament.
T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy
The two sides have also met at multiple T20 World Cups and in ICC Champions Trophy group play over the years. Because tournament draws vary edition to edition, I’d point you to the ICC’s official tournament archive or ESPNcricinfo’s tournament history pages for the exact list of T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy fixtures between them. It changes with every new tournament, and this piece will go stale faster than the rest of the page if I try to freeze it in a table.
Memorable matches between New Zealand and West Indies
New Zealand’s first-ever Test win (1956). After 26 years as a Test nation and dozens of near-misses, New Zealand finally broke through, beating West Indies by 190 runs at Eden Park in the fourth Test of the 1955/56 series. It came after West Indies had already won the series 3-0 in the first three matches.
The 1975 World Cup semi-final. Covered above. The template for a rivalry that would take another 20 years to become competitive.
The one-wicket thriller (1980). New Zealand’s win at Carisbrook in the first Test of the 1979/80 series came by the barest possible margin: one wicket. It remains one of only a handful of one-wicket Test victories in the sport’s history.
660 for 5 declared (1995). West Indies posted the highest total ever scored against New Zealand in a Test, at Basin Reserve, and won by an innings and 322 runs. Brian Lara was among the runs.
Lennox’s collapse special (2026). The most recent chapter. West Indies looked set for 250-plus at 63 without loss in the second ODI of the current series, then lost their last 10 wickets for 75 as Jayden Lennox took 5 for 19, the third-best figures by a New Zealand spinner in ODI history behind Daniel Vettori and Ish Sodhi.
New Zealand vs West Indies: notable records
- Highest total against New Zealand in this rivalry: West Indies’ 660/5 declared, Basin Reserve, 1995.
- New Zealand’s first Test win, ever: came against West Indies, 1956, by 190 runs.
- Narrowest Test win for New Zealand, by wickets: 1 wicket, Carisbrook, 1979/80.
- Longest current streak: New Zealand unbeaten at home to West Indies in Test cricket since 2013.
For exhaustive, constantly-refreshed records like highest individual scores, best bowling figures, biggest run/wicket victory margins, and highest successful chases specifically in this fixture, ESPNcricinfo’s head-to-head records hub (search “West Indies vs New Zealand head to head, ESPNcricinfo”) is the definitive source and updates in real time, including from whatever happens in the remaining three ODIs of this series.
Leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in the rivalry
This is where I’d rather be straight with you than confident and wrong. Career run and wicket tallies specifically in matches against one opponent are Statsguru-level queries, and they shift after every match, including the one being played this week. A few names that come up consistently when this fixture is discussed:
- Richard Hadlee is widely regarded as the most destructive bowler New Zealand ever fielded against West Indies in Tests.
- Sonny Ramadhin ran through New Zealand’s batting repeatedly in the 1955/56 series, taking 33 wickets across four Tests, one of the great series hauls by any bowler against any opponent.
- Daniel Vettori and Ish Sodhi hold the two best ODI bowling figures by a New Zealand spinner against West Indies, with Jayden Lennox’s 5/19 from this week’s second ODI now sitting third.
- Daryl Mitchell has been New Zealand’s standout batter in recent white-ball cricket against the Windies, averaging well above 100 across his last five matches against them coming into this series.
- Shai Hope is the modern-day standard-bearer for West Indies against New Zealand, closing in on 500 runs against them in his last 10 ODI innings alone.
For a full, ranked, always-current top-10 list of run-scorers and wicket-takers in this specific fixture, run a Statsguru query filtered to “New Zealand v West Indies” on ESPNcricinfo. It’ll be more accurate than anything printed here on the day you read it.
New Zealand vs West Indies by format
Test rivalry. This is where the history lives. West Indies dominated the first four decades, built on genuine pace battteries and, later, Ramadhin’s spin. New Zealand’s turnaround dates almost exactly to the early 2000s and accelerated hard once Kane Williamson’s generation took over. Home advantage matters enormously in this fixture; NZ’s unbeaten home Test run against WI since 2013 is the standout current stat.
ODI rivalry. Tighter than the Test numbers suggest. New Zealand’s ODI structure and depth have generally had the edge since the 2000s, but West Indies’ power-hitting has produced enough big totals to keep the overall record close. The current 2026 series, level at 1-1 after two low-scoring, spin-heavy games in Guyana, fits that pattern of unpredictability.
T20I rivalry. The newest format, and the smallest sample size (25 matches). New Zealand leads clearly, helped by depth in death bowling and a run of white-ball success through the 2010s and 2020s.
Frequently asked questions
When did New Zealand and West Indies first play each other?
February 1952, a two-Test series in New Zealand, which West Indies won 1-0.
Who has won more matches, New Zealand or West Indies?
New Zealand leads in all three formats: Tests (by series count, 9-6), ODIs (34-32), and T20Is (14-8).
Which team has the highest total against the other?
West Indies hold this one in Tests, with 660/5 declared at Basin Reserve in 1995, still the highest total ever posted against New Zealand.
Who has scored the most runs in this fixture?
There’s no single frozen answer here since the tally moves after every match; Shai Hope and Daryl Mitchell are the leading active run-scorers on either side right now. Check Statsguru for the exact current leaderboard.
Who has taken the most wickets in this fixture?
Historically, Sonny Ramadhin’s 33 wickets in the 1955/56 series is the standout series haul. Richard Hadlee is often cited as the most dangerous bowler New Zealand fielded against West Indies across a career.
Which was the best World Cup match between the two sides?
The 1975 semi-final at The Oval, the tournament’s first-ever semi-final, won by West Indies by 5 wickets.
What is the biggest victory margin between the two teams?
West Indies’ innings-and-322-run win in the second Test of the 1994/95 series is the largest margin in the Test fixture. For ODIs and T20Is, exact biggest-margin records are best pulled fresh from ESPNcricinfo’s head-to-head hub.
How many Test series have New Zealand and West Indies played?
18, from 1951/52 through 2025/26.
What is the latest New Zealand vs West Indies result?
New Zealand won the second ODI of the current series by 5 wickets on July 13, 2026, leveling it at 1-1. The next match, the 3rd ODI, is on July 16, 2026, in Providence.
