Hope banking on familiarity at Providence, as Windies look to draw first blood today

Jul 11, 2026 Sports

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2026 New Zealand tour of West Indies ODI series WI vs. NZ Match 1 at Providence

– WI Captain says utilizing knowledge of Guyana could give team tactical edge over Kiwis 

By Clifton Ross

Kaieteur Sports – Guyanese fan-favorite and West Indies Captain Shai Hope plans to harness all his knowledge and experience gained playing at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence with the sole aim of giving his team the tactical edge needed to defeat the visiting New Zealanders come today when the first of 3 Day/Night games bowl off.

Speaking exclusively during the team’s final pre-match net session at Providence, an upbeat Hope said the tactical model heading into the series will play a crucial role over the next few days in Guyana, as the Caribbean boys will look to draw first blood before heading to Barbados.

Hope has been arguably one of the top ODI batsmen in world cricket and most certainly the team’s key component in their engine-room for batsmen.

Averaging a staggering 50.56 with more than 6000 runs 31 fifties and 19 hundreds in his ODI career, the Bajan’s record in this format played on Guyana soil has been a bit mixed.

With just 167 runs scored from the 9 innings at Providence and a best of 71 in 50-0ver cricket, Hope boasts a better T20 record having spent a number of years with the Guyana Amazon Warriors team during CPL season, thus making his relationship here even deeper than most players from across the Caribbean.

In all, the classy right-hander has played in a total of 39 games across all major formats, with 9 coming from the aforementioned ODI’s while the other 30 have been in the T20 format (CPL/T20I games).

One huge plus for the West Indies is Hope’s T20 record at Providence but more so his general limited overs achievements at their designated battleground over the next three games.

With 1,099 runs coming at an average of almost 43.00 and a scorching strike rate upwards of 141.00 and his lone century in Guyana being an unforgettable knock of 106 off 44 balls, Hope himself said tapping into such data is critical for ensuring his teammates, the non-Guyanese and those less familiar with conditions at Providence; are properly equipped to tackle the formidable Kiwis.

Beloved by Guyanese, Hope touched on his relationship with the somewhat adopted hometown of Guyana, citing his love for the country while highlighting the importance of his role over the next few days; as it relates to putting on a show for his local fanbase.

“So the key is always performing in whatever situation I’m faced with while trying to give my team the best,” he said.

Hope continued, “We spoke about the conditions here and whatever experience I would have had here playing CPL and a few international fixtures, I’ve got to use that and bank on that information while I’m here.”

“But regardless of what happened in the past, adaptability is key here and whatever experience I have I can share with the group and try to lean on that. It’s going to be tough, we’re playing against New Zealand, one of the better teams in the world. We have to use all our advantages whether we have them, we’ll try to use our best trumps and ensure we get the best for the team,” the West Indies skipper detailed.

Switching to the more tactical side of the game, Hope put on his analytical cap as he explained the importance of securing as many points as possible over the course of the series, given the circumstances which occurred back in June that somewhat caused them a 3-match series against Sri Lanka after the first and last match was subsequently abandoned due to torrential rains, as the Asians bagged the second match to seal a rain-affected series.

“You saw how important that one game in Jamaica was, we had 3 games only one played, they (Sri Lanka) won the first one and won the series. So everything is important, every single game is crucial, you have to understand there’s only a certain amount of points you can get, so every game is important; we understand we can’t control what happened in the past, but we can do our best in this series,” said The Windies captain.

The West Indies middle-order batter also credited the New Zealand team for their success in this format as well as their ability to win games.

“Guyana is always one of the places you have to adapt, the wicket seems a bit slow and as batters we have to find ways to score. They (NZ) have good spinners and we’re taking nothing away from their pacers, they have a good squad,” Hope stated.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Captain Mitchell Satner praised the local groundsmen for their efforts to ensure the venue remains in peak shape despite the weather.

Speaking on his team’s goals for the series, the all-rounder said remaining watchful with regards to the conditions while taking the series one game at a time will encompass the overall direction of the series.

“Traditionally the venue is a touch slow but under lights it might nip and swing, but it might be a bit slower during the day,” he noted.

“We are excited about the group we have here coming off a good England series. We have a different looking squad and the challenge will be the West Indies conditions which can change, but we pride ourselves in adapting pretty well. Barbados is different from Guyana so we have to take it one game at a time,” Santner ended.

Today’s first ODI at Providence will bowl off from 14:30h.

West Indies Squad: Shai Hope (Captain), Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, John Campbell, Amir Jangoo, Ackeem Auguste, Vitel Lawes

New Zealand ODI Squad: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Tom Latham, Mitchell Hay, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Dean Foxcroft, Nick Kelly, Jacob Duffy, Ben Lister, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kristian Clarke, Matthew Fisher, Jayden Lennox

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• New Zealand vs West Indies, ODI Series, Shai Hope, West Indies

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