Guyana, 14 July (H.S.):

Spinner Jayden Lennox claimed the first five-wicket haul of his career as New Zealand defeated the West Indies by five wickets in the second One-Day International, levelling the three-match series 1-1.

In the match played at Providence Stadium on Monday (local time), Lennox returned outstanding figures of 5 for 19, while Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell picked up two wickets each to spearhead New Zealand's dominant spin attack.

Opting to bat first, the West Indies made a promising start. John Campbell scored 43, while Akeem Auguste contributed 18, as the pair added 63 runs for the opening wicket. However, New Zealand's spinners then seized complete control of the contest.

After Auguste's dismissal, Campbell fell to Santner before Lennox struck in quick succession, removing captain Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford to leave the hosts in deep trouble.

Keacy Carty, Gudakesh Motie, Matthew Forde, Amir Jangoo, Vitus Logie and the remaining batters also failed to cope with the spin attack. New Zealand's spinners accounted for nine wickets as the West Indies were bowled out for 138 in 36 overs.

Chasing a modest target of 139, New Zealand also suffered a few early setbacks. Will Young made 28 before being dismissed after a solid start, while Mark Chapman was run out. Henry Nicholls also failed to convert his start into a substantial innings.

Daryl Mitchell (28) and Tom Latham then steadied the chase with a crucial partnership for the fourth wicket. Although the dismissals of Mitchell and Dean Foxcroft briefly gave the West Indies hope, Latham remained unbeaten on 37 and, along with Michael Bracewell, guided New Zealand to 141 for 5 in 32.4 overs to seal the victory.

With the win, New Zealand levelled the three-match ODI series at 1-1. The series will now be decided in the third and final match.

Brief Scores:

West Indies: 138 all out in 36 overs (John Campbell 43, Amir Jangoo 24; Jayden Lennox 5/19, Mitchell Santner 2/21)

New Zealand: 141/5 in 32.4 overs (Tom Latham unbeaten 37, Will Young 28, Daryl Mitchell 28; Khary Pierre 2/33)

Result:New Zealand won by five wickets; the three-match series is level at 1-1.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar