New Zealand tour of West Indies ODI Series, 2026

New Zealand’s tour of the West Indies brings a compact but important five-match ODI series, beginning at Providence on July 12 IST — July 11 local time — with the first three games scheduled at Guyana National Stadium before the final two move to Kensington Oval, Bridgetown. For both teams, the series carries weight beyond bilateral pride: it is part of their longer build-up towards the 2027 50-over World Cup, and the slow, often spin-friendly Caribbean surfaces should test batting patience, strike rotation and death-overs execution.

West Indies enter the series under Shai Hope with a squad that blends experience, power and fresh promise. Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie and Jayden Seales give the hosts a varied core, while 19-year-old wrist-spinner Vitel Lawes has earned a maiden senior call-up for the Guyana leg. Keemo Paul has also been included after Shamar Springer withdrew from selection, and head coach Daren Sammy has framed the series as a “must-win” step in West Indies’ ODI development.

New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, arrive with a squad that is both experienced and experimental. Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman provide stability, while Jacob Duffy returns and Matt Fisher receives a maiden ODI call-up. With several frontline names unavailable or rested, including Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, the Black Caps will need their second-wave players to adapt quickly. The key battle could be New Zealand’s disciplined middle-overs approach against West Indies’ pace-spin mix, with early momentum at Providence likely to shape the tone of the series.