West Indies head coach Daren Sammy is backing his Test team to rise to the challenge and secure a historic result in New Zealand. The touring side begins its quest for a first Test match and series win on New Zealand soil since 1995, a drought stretching three decades.
The last time the West Indies tasted victory in a Test series in New Zealand, stand-in captain Courtney Walsh for the injured Richie Richardson delivered a masterclass, taking 13 for 55 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. However, history since that match has been less forgiving. The head-to-head record heavily favours the Black Caps; while the West Indies dominated the rivalry between 1951 and 1995, New Zealand has dominated the West Indies ever since.
Of the 49 Tests played between the two nations, New Zealand has won 17, with 13 of those victories coming after 1995. The West Indies' only Test win against New Zealand since 1995 came on home turf in the Caribbean. Despite these daunting numbers, Sammy remains optimistic that his team will compete fiercely.
His confidence stems partially from the recently concluded white-ball series, where New Zealand won the T20 series 3-1 and the One Day International (ODI) series 3-0.
"One thing we've shown over here, we challenge them," Sammy stated. The two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain added, "In the T20 series, in the ODI series, I don't think the result reflected on how we played."
Speaking after the final practice session before a two-day warm-up match at Lincoln, Sammy praised the consistency of the Test team's bowling unit, noting their ability to consistently take 20 wickets in recent matches. Even during their recent 3-0 home loss to Australia, the West Indies managed to claim all 60 available Australian wickets across the series.
"Yes, we were a little bit hindered by the injury to Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, two of the guys who've been very critical in those aspects of the game where we could bowl out teams," Sammy acknowledged. "But we got some young blood, eager to go. Before they got here, they were in a three-week camp in Antigua at the academy, putting in the work and starting to prepare on how we want to play."
The First Test in Christchurch, starting on December 1, marks New Zealand's first Test in the 2025-2027 World Test Championship Cycle. For the West Indies, it is a chance to reset their campaign, which currently shows five losses from five matches after suffering 3-0 at home to Australia and 2-0 in India.
West Indies bowlers, since January 2025, have not had much support from the batters. In seven Tests in this calendar year, only Shai Hope and John Campbell, back in the Test team after a couple of years, scored triple figures as West Indies crossed 300 only once (390 against India).
Sammy said, “Obviously, with the batters, that has been a challenge for us, and we continue to find the different skill sets in the personnel that we select to be able to execute the roles. That's the conversation we continue to have. The way we prepare is all geared towards how we want to play. It's marrying those skill sets, the preparation, and the confidence required to transform that into the game. I'm looking forward to it.”
Sammy simplified his core expectation for the team, which will see the return of veteran Kemar Roach to help offset the injuries to the Josephs.
“We might not have the numbers behind us coming to New Zealand, but I think the mindset that we have here and what we're trying to create is good. It boils down to execution. The word I've been using from my career, my playing days, my captaincy days, you execute well here in New Zealand.”
West Indies started a two-day practice match against a New Zealand XI last evening.
Squads
West Indies: Roston Chase (captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, Kemar Roach, Anderson Phillip, Jomel Warrican, Johann Layne and Ojay Shields.
New Zealand XI: Leo Carter (captain), Scott Janett, Jesse Frew, Muhammad Abbas, Sam Cassidy, Cam Paul, Marco Alpe, Jayden Lennox, Thomas O’Connor, Raunaq Kapur, Rahman Hekmat, Samrath Singh.
