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West Indies and New Zealand meet in the 3rd ODI at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, July 16, and this is now a genuine decider before the series moves to Barbados. New Zealand levelled things at 1 1 with a five wicket win in the second match, bowling West Indies out for just 138 on a sharply turning pitch. In this preview you will find the match details, what happened in the second ODI, pitch report and two WI vs NZ 3rd ODI fantasy team options, one safe and one for grand leagues.
Whoever wins this match takes a psychological advantage into the final two matches at Kensington Oval, even though the series itself continues regardless of the result here.
For Indian viewers, the match starts at 12.00 AM IST on the night of Thursday, July 16 going into Friday, July 17, which is a 2.30 PM afternoon start in Guyana. The match will be streamed on FanCode in India.
WI vs NZ 3rd ODI Match Details
Match: West Indies vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI, New Zealand tour of West Indies 2026
Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Time: 12.00 AM IST (night of July 16 into July 17) | 2.30 PM local time in Guyana
Venue: Providence Stadium, Guyana
Streaming in India: FanCode
Series: Tied 1 1
Series Scoreboard And Remaining Schedule
| Match | Venue | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Providence, Guyana | July 11 | West Indies won by 7 wickets |
| 2nd ODI | Providence, Guyana | July 13 | New Zealand won by 5 wickets |
| 3rd ODI | Providence, Guyana | July 16 | Series decider at this venue |
| 4th ODI | Kensington Oval, Barbados | July 19 | Upcoming |
| 5th ODI | Kensington Oval, Barbados | July 21 | Upcoming |
The series is tied 1 1 with this match completing the Guyana leg before both teams travel to Barbados for the final two games.
What Happened In The 2nd ODI
West Indies were sent in and looked comfortable at 63 for 0, before collapsing to 138 all out, losing all 10 wickets for just 75 runs. John Campbell top scored with 43 and Ackeem Auguste made 18, but nobody else passed 24. Left arm spinner Jayden Lennox tore through the middle order with 5 for 19, the third best figures by a New Zealand spinner in ODI history behind only Ish Sodhi and Daniel Vettori, and it was his first five wicket haul in only his seventh ODI after a belated international debut at 31. Captain Mitchell Santner chipped in with two important top order wickets, and between them New Zealand’s spinners shared 9 wickets, their most ever in a single ODI innings.
New Zealand’s chase was not entirely smooth. Henry Nicholls and Will Young put on 35 in a brisk opening stand before Alzarri Joseph and a mix up that ran out Mark Chapman for a second ball duck slowed things down. Daryl Mitchell was stumped off Khary Pierre for 28 after charging down the pitch once too often, and Pierre struck again to bowl Dean Foxcroft. From there Tom Latham, unbeaten on 37, and Michael Bracewell added an unbroken stand to see New Zealand home by 5 wickets with 104 balls to spare.
Shai Hope was honest about the total afterwards. “If we’d put 60 to 70 more runs on the board it would have been a different game. Conditions in the Caribbean usually favour the team batting second, and winning the toss is something we need to get better at.” Santner credited his spinners: “Once the ball gets older it starts to spin more, and Jayden’s accuracy has been good for us for a long time back home.”
West Indies: A Top Order That Needs To Find Answers Fast
The batting collapse in the second ODI is the story West Indies need to fix before this match. Losing 10 wickets for 75 runs on a used surface exposed how little the middle order offered once the openers fell, and Hope’s own admission that the team needs to get better at making the toss count suggests this is a known problem rather than a one off.
There is a squad boost to help with that. Shimron Hetmyer has been added to the squad after Justin Greaves was ruled out of the rest of the series with a back injury. Hetmyer was originally left out of the New Zealand series entirely so he could finish his Major League Cricket season with the Seattle Orcas, but with that campaign over he has rejoined West Indies for these final two Guyana matches. He has not played an ODI since June 2025, but a finisher of his calibre gives the middle order an option it lacked in the second match.
New Zealand: Spin Attack In Career Defining Form
New Zealand’s spinners have been the story of this tour. Lennox’s five wicket haul and Santner’s control combined for nine wickets in the second ODI, and captain Santner himself already has a strong record against this opponent. Daryl Mitchell continues to be the batting rock, and Tom Latham’s calm finish in the chase showed exactly the kind of experience New Zealand missed early in this tour when several senior players were rested or unavailable.
The concern for New Zealand is repeating that spin heavy plan on a pitch that could behave differently a third time around, since Providence tends to offer less turn the fresher it is and more as a surface wears through a series. New Zealand did not use pace at all after the opening overs in the second match, a gamble that worked perfectly once but will not be automatic again.
WI vs NZ Head To Head Record
New Zealand lead the recent head to head 8 wins to 2 across the last ten meetings, but the two results in this series have gone one each, West Indies winning the opener by 7 wickets and New Zealand levelling with a 5 wicket win. Since the start of 2000, West Indies have won a bilateral ODI series against New Zealand only twice, in 2002 and 2012, which shows how rare the opportunity in front of them now actually is.
WI vs NZ Recent Form (Last 5 ODIs Each)
| Team | Last 5 Results |
|---|---|
| West Indies | L, W, L, L, L |
| New Zealand | W, L, L, L, W |
Providence Pitch Report: Spin Dominant, Toss Matters
Providence has become a heavily spin favoured venue this series. Across the last ten matches at the ground, spin has taken 60 percent of the wickets against 40 percent for pace, and the second ODI pushed that trend further, with New Zealand’s spinners alone taking 9 of the 10 West Indies wickets to fall.
Providence Stadium ODI stats:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches | 27 |
| Won batting first | 48% |
| Won bowling first | 48% |
| Average 1st innings score | 214 |
| Average 2nd innings score | 186 |
| Highest total | 309/6 by West Indies vs Pakistan |
| Lowest total | 98/10 by West Indies vs Pakistan |
| Highest successful chase | 309/6 by West Indies vs Pakistan |
| Lowest total defended | 189/9 by Australia vs South Africa |
Recent ODIs at Providence Stadium:
| Match | 1st Innings | 2nd Innings | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| WI vs NZ, 2nd ODI 2026 | WI 138 | NZ 141/5 | New Zealand won by 5 wickets |
| WI vs NZ, 1st ODI 2026 | NZ 267 | WI 268/3 | West Indies won by 7 wickets |
| WI vs BAN, 3rd ODI 2022 | WI 178 | BAN 179/6 | Bangladesh won by 4 wickets |
Batting first and bowling first are dead even across this venue’s history, which puts extra weight on reading conditions correctly rather than following a fixed pattern. Given how sharply the pitch turned in the second match, both captains are likely to want first use of the bat this time, since batting last against tired, worn spin has looked significantly harder than batting first. A total of 220 or more would already be well above what either team has managed batting first this series.
Guyana Weather Report For WI vs NZ 3rd ODI
The forecast for Thursday afternoon in Guyana is mostly clear with a temperature around 26 degrees, humidity at 91 percent and a 25 percent chance of rain. Conditions should allow a full match, though the high humidity is worth watching given rain has already affected this series once.
WI vs NZ Probable Playing XIs
West Indies (probable): John Campbell, Ackeem Auguste, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c, wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Amir Jangoo, Gudakesh Motie, Khary Pierre, Alzarri Joseph, Matthew Forde, Vitel Lawes
This was the combination used in the second ODI. Shimron Hetmyer is the biggest selection question after joining the squad, and given the top order’s struggles, he could come in for one of the lower order bowling all rounders to add batting depth. Roston Chase and Keemo Paul are the other options if West Indies want more control with the ball instead.
New Zealand (probable): Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Tom Latham (wk), Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Jayden Lennox, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft
This is essentially the winning combination from the second ODI. Matthew Fisher and Ben Lister are the pace options if New Zealand want to freshen their attack after using spin almost exclusively last time.
WI vs NZ Full Squads
West Indies: Shai Hope (c, wk), Ackeem Auguste, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Tom Latham (wk), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Kristian Clarke, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Nathan Smith, Will Young
Key Player Battles
Shai Hope vs Jayden Lennox: Lennox’s 5 for 19 dismantled West Indies’ middle order in the second match, and Hope himself was one of his victims. How the West Indies captain handles the left armer in his first few overs could shape the entire innings.
Daryl Mitchell vs Gudakesh Motie: Mitchell has been New Zealand’s most consistent batter all series, and Motie at his home ground is the bowler most likely to trouble him. Mitchell’s stumping in the second match shows even set batters are not fully comfortable against the spin here.
Shimron Hetmyer vs Michael Bracewell: If Hetmyer plays, his return to international cricket against a New Zealand spin attack in career best form is one of the most interesting sub plots of the whole series.
WI vs NZ 3rd ODI Fantasy Team (Small Leagues)
Wicketkeeper: Tom Latham (VC)
Batters: Shai Hope (C), Daryl Mitchell, John Campbell
All Rounders: Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Roston Chase
Bowlers: Jayden Lennox, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Jacob Duffy
Hope is the captain as West Indies’ most reliable batter and a wicketkeeper who adds catching and stumping points on a turning pitch. Latham is the vice captain after his unbeaten finish in the second match. Lennox is close to a must pick after his five wicket haul, and the team leans heavily on spin given how the last match played out.
WI vs NZ 3rd ODI Fantasy Team (Grand Leagues)
For grand leagues, this second WI vs NZ 3rd ODI fantasy team leaves out Hope and Lennox, who will be the two most owned players in this match.
Wicketkeeper: Amir Jangoo
Batters: Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Keacy Carty, Shimron Hetmyer
All Rounders: Mitchell Santner (C), Sherfane Rutherford (VC)
Bowlers: Khary Pierre, Vitel Lawes, Nathan Smith, Matthew Forde
Santner as captain is the differential, since he took two important wickets in the second match with the bat and ball value the crowd will overlook while chasing Lennox. Pierre is the standout pick after two wickets and a handy not out in the previous game, at a fraction of the ownership of the bigger names. Hetmyer is the boldest punt on this list, since his selection is not confirmed, but if he plays a returning finisher at low ownership is exactly the kind of pick that wins grand leagues.
WI vs NZ 3rd ODI Match Prediction
New Zealand go into this match with real momentum after their spinners produced arguably the best bowling performance of the series, but West Indies have shown in the opener that they can beat this same opponent on this same ground when their top order fires. The toss and conditions will matter enormously given how evenly split this venue’s results have been between batting and bowling first. If West Indies can post anything close to 220, their own spin attack led by Motie has shown it can defend on this surface. New Zealand’s spinners have the edge in current form, but a series that has swung once already feels likely to swing again, and this looks too close to call with confidence.
Q. When is the WI vs NZ 3rd ODI?
A. The 3rd ODI will be played on Thursday, July 16 at Providence Stadium in Guyana, starting at 2.30 PM local time, which is 12.00 AM IST on the night of July 16 going into July 17.
Q. Where can I watch WI vs NZ 3rd ODI live in India?
A. The match will be streamed live on the FanCode app and website in India.
Q. Who won the 2nd ODI between West Indies and New Zealand?
A. New Zealand won by 5 wickets, bowling West Indies out for 138 before chasing the target down with 104 balls to spare. Jayden Lennox took 5 for 19, and Tom Latham finished unbeaten on 37 to guide the chase home.
Q. Is Shimron Hetmyer playing in the WI vs NZ 3rd ODI?
A. Hetmyer has joined the West Indies squad after Justin Greaves was ruled out with a back injury, having completed his Major League Cricket season with the Seattle Orcas. Whether he plays in the 3rd ODI has not been confirmed.
Q. Who should be captain in the WI vs NZ 3rd ODI fantasy team?
A. Shai Hope is the best captain choice as West Indies’ most reliable batter and a wicketkeeper on a turning pitch. Mitchell Santner is a strong differential captain for grand leagues after his all round contribution in the second match.
Q. What is the head to head record between West Indies and New Zealand?
A. New Zealand lead the recent head to head 8 wins to 2 across the last ten meetings, though this series itself is level at 1 1 after each team won one match in Guyana.