Cricket: Mitchell Santner wary of 'challenge' posed by in-form Windies

Cricket: Mitchell Santner wary of challenge posed by in-form Windies

Captain Mitchell Santner says the Black Caps are prepared for seven weeks of intense cricket against the touring West Indies.

West Indies captain Shai Hope and New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner on One Tree Hill in Auckland.

The full format tour kicks off at Auckland's Eden Park tomorrow night, starting with the first of five T20 internationals over nine days. November will also see three ODIs, followed by a three-test series in December.

New Zealand holds a strong home record and is favored in all three series. The teams’ rankings are as follows:

Santner emphasized that the Black Caps will not underestimate the West Indies, who recently completed an impressive 3-0 T20 series win in Bangladesh.

"I think they've found a good group. We've always known they've got some good hitters. But they've got a nice balance of seam, spin and power now so they're going to be a challenge throughout the series - not just in T20, in all three series I think," Santner said.
"The guys are excited for the opportunity tomorrow night. We know they're a great team coming off some good success in Bangladesh. They've got power all through their team, so we've got to be ready."

Mitchell Santner and his team recognize that the West Indies present a formidable test across formats and are preparing accordingly.

Summary: Mitchell Santner warns of a strong and balanced West Indies squad, underlining the challenge ahead for the Black Caps during a demanding seven-week home series.

more

RNZ RNZ — 2025-11-05

More News