New Zealand claimed opening day honors in the second Test at the Basin Reserve, but their dominance came at a cost. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, the hosts dismissed the West Indies for just 205 inside 75 overs. However, the day ended on a sour note for the Black Caps when standout bowler Blair Tickner, who had led the attack with figures of 4-32, was stretchered off the field.
Tickner suffered a suspected dislocated left shoulder after diving to stop a boundary, leaving the ground in an ambulance just as New Zealand looked to wrap up the innings.
The day didn’t start comfortably for Tom Latham’s side. The West Indies openers, John Campbell and Brandon King, navigated the new ball well to put on a 66-run stand, initially making Latham's decision to bowl first on a brown-tinged surface appear risky.
Campbell top-scored with 44 and King added a brisk 33, but the introduction of Tickner shifted the momentum entirely. He removed King LBW and trapped Kavem Hodge in front just an over later, triggering a collapse where the visitors lost their last seven wickets for only 52 runs.
With the New Zealand attack already depleted by injuries to Matt Henry and Nathan Smith, debutant Michael Rae stepped up to support Tickner’s aggression. The 30-year-old seamer shook off an expensive first spell to claim 3-67, including the key wicket of Campbell immediately after lunch.
It was a day of adjustments for both sides; New Zealand fielded two debutants with wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay also replacing Tom Blundell, while the West Indies were forced to bring in King for an injured Tagenarine Chanderpaul and swap Johann Layne for Anderson Phillip.
Shai Hope kept going in the middle order, scoring a composed 48 while adding 60 runs with Roston Chase. However, Tickner returned to break the stand, utilising a sharp short-ball strategy that eventually saw Hope fend a catch to the slips.
Chase fell shortly after for 29, chopping a nip-backer onto his stumps. The rest of the batting lineup offered little resistance, with Glenn Phillips and Jacob Duffy cleaning up the tail quickly following Tickner’s departure.
New Zealand’s openers, Latham and Devon Conway, successfully navigated a tricky nine-over period before stumps to reach 24-0. Despite some testing deliveries from Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales that troubled the left-handers, the pair survived to carry the advantage into the second day.