Hope wants top order to step up in final T20 vs Kiwis

WEST INDIES white-ball captain Shai Hope says he and his fellow top-order batsmen must step up to the plate in the fifth and final T20 of their series versus New Zealand, which bowls off from 8.15 pm (TT time) on November 12 at the University Oval, Dunedin.

The Windies currently trail the series 2-1, after the fourth T20 at the Saxton Oval, Nelson, on November 9, was rained out with just 6.3 overs of play possible. The three completed matches in the series thus far have all been a treat for the neutrals, as West Indies won the first T20 by seven runs, before New Zealand bounced back to win the next two matches by three and nine runs respectively.

"The unfortunate reality is that we can't win the series because of that last game that was rained out. But we've still put ourselves in a position to finish up on square terms," Hope said, in a pre-match presser.

"Sometimes when you go to foreign conditions and foreign places, sometimes you have to take what you get. Certainly, 2-2 will look a lot better than 3-1 to New Zealand. That's something we're definitely hoping for."

West Indies' top-order batsmen haven't exactly come to the party in this series, as the regional team's batting efforts have been bailed out more than once by the exploits of the middle- and lower-order, with players such as Rovman Powell, Matthew Forde, Romario Shepherd and Shamar Springer all playing meaningful cameos in this series. In the second T20, the Windies lower-order took the score from 93 for six to 204 for eight, but the regional team fell just short of New Zealand's total of 207. Then, in the third T20, the Windies were reeling on 88 for eight before a 78-run partnership between Shepherd and Springer brought them agonisingly close to New Zealand's 177. The Men in Maroon were eventually bowled out for 168 with one ball left in the match as Shepherd clobbered 49 off 34 balls.

"We've got to raise our hands at the top, especially in these conditions. We see how important the new ball is for the New Zealand bowlers. When you allow them to break through that top order and open up the middle order, it's a lot more difficult to set that big score you want," Hope said.

"But, we must tip our hats off to guys in the lower order, they have been tremendous throughout the series.

"As long as we tick that box at the top and don't let them through our top order, I think with the power we possess, it can be dangerous for any team, not just New Zealand. We've got that to fix from a top-order standpoint and then hopefully we can put together a very strong game as a unit."

Hope said the series was a good test for the West Indies as the conditions contrast greatly to their previous tour away to Bangladesh where they encountered some slow turners and the ball kept really low on occasion. While winning the final T20 is imperative, he said it's important the team continues to play good cricket and retain knowledge in case they face New Zealand at next year's International Cricket Council T20 World Cup.