While the West Indies can take a slight moral victory from their 140 being slightly more than the 138 they managed in game two, it was still too small a target to defend.
New Zealand’s response was, at times, nervy. For the second game in succession, Tom Latham guided the Black Caps to victory with an unbeaten 31 from 53 deliveries, as part of an unbeaten partnership of 52 runs with Dean Foxcroft (22 not out) – the highest for either side on the day.
Now only three games into his professional career – all at international level – 19-year-old spinner Vitel Lawes was again the West Indies’ star, taking another 3-39 with the ball before his attack ran out of runs to defend.
Both sides will now relocate to Barbados for the series’ final two matches, starting on Monday morning (NZT).
Tom Latham celebrates the wicket of Keemo Paul against the West Indies in Guyana. Photo / AFP
With all three games at Guyana’s Providence Stadium having been won by the chasing side, Santner’s biggest victory of the day arguably came at the toss.
From 25-0 when John Campbell retired hurt with a hamstring injury, the West Indies lost nine wickets for 115 runs, as the slow bowlers again dictated play.
At 38-1 when Santner brought himself into the attack – having taken a spectacular catch running back from mid-off off Jacob Duffy (1-15) to remove Ackeem Auguste (26) – the spinners took their time to assert their dominance, but didn’t relent once they did.
The left-arm pair of Lennox and Santner removed captain Shai Hope, bowled for eight, and Sherfane Rutherford – caught in the deep when reverse-sweeping – respectively, to leave the hosts 73-3.
And when Bracewell had the pair of Keacy Carty lbw for an innings-high 48 and Shimron Hetmyer (26) caught at deep midwicket, the hosts were out of specialist batters in the 31st over.
At the other end, Lennox struck thrice to have Keemo Paul (8) lbw attempting to reverse sweep, before removing Gudakesh Motie (0) and Alzarri Joseph (7) bowled by missing straight balls.
Santner completed the rout when he hit the woodwork of Kharry Pierre (4) and set his batters the comfortable target of 141 in 50 overs.
In reply, the Black Caps’ openers hardly came racing out of the blocks, and added 36 in the first 10 overs.
Henry Nicholls was saved twice when lbw decisions were overturned by umpire reviews, but finally fell for 24 when he was superbly beaten by Lawes. Mark Chapman couldn’t capitalise on being dropped on two, when he was trapped lbw by Lawes to leave the Black Caps 50-2 after drinks.
With the New Zealand side able to knock off the target in singles, Lawes had a third when Will Young holed out to short cover for 23, as the Black Caps crawled to 81-3 at the halfway stage.
Mitchell Santner completes the catch of Ackeem Auguste against the West Indies in Guyana. Photo / AFP
Daryl Mitchell faced 49 balls for his 28, before he was beaten by Pierre (1-26) with a ball that straightened to hit off-stump, with the equation still 52 runs needed from 138 balls.
Faced with a similar situation he did in the series’ second game, Latham again guided the Black Caps home, this time supported by Foxcroft. The test captain tamed the spinners in his 53-ball innings, which contained just two boundaries.
At the other end, Foxcroft got off the mark in the series after his duck in game two, and hit two boundaries in his 28 deliveries, as he and Latham raised their half-century stand in 72 balls to take New Zealand over the line.
But with plenty still to play for over the next week, both sets of batters will be hoping for more friendly conditions in Barbados.
West Indies 140-9 (Carty 48; Lennox 4-52)
New Zealand 141-4 (Latham 31 not out; Lawes 3-39)
New Zealand win by six wickets
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.