New Zealand held their nerve in a dramatic finish to defeat West Indies by three runs in the second T20I at Eden Park, Auckland. The hosts set a daunting total of 207, powered by aggressive middle-order batting, before West Indies mounted a fierce chase that ultimately fell just short. With this result, New Zealand levelled the three-match series at 1-1. West Indies, needing 208 for victory, finished on 204/8 after 20 overs, with the contest swinging until the last ball as Kyle Jamieson successfully defended seven runs off the last four deliveries.

Mark Chapman was the standout for New Zealand, producing a rapid-fire 78 off 28 that shifted momentum.

He blasted three sixes and a four in one over off Romario Shepherd and scored heavily against Jayden Seales, taking 23 runs in a single over. Daryl Mitchell joined in, hitting three sixes off Akeal Hosein as New Zealand amassed 82 runs in the final four overs. This late surge proved decisive, with the team crossing the 200-run mark and establishing a challenging target for West Indies.

Openers Devon Conway and Tim Robinson provided a solid start, putting on 55 runs in seven overs. Both were dismissed in quick succession, but Rachin Ravindra and Chapman consolidated, taking the score to 81/2 by the 13th over.

The middle overs saw measured accumulation before Chapman and Mitchell's late assault, with the final over alone yielding 19 runs as Seales bowled to Santner and Mitchell.
West Indies' chase got off to a shaky start as Brandon King was dismissed for a three-ball duck. Alick Athanaze attempted to stabilise the innings with three sixes and some boundaries, but the run-rate remained only at a run a ball during the powerplay, putting pressure on the middle order. By the 11th over, quick wickets had reduced the visitors to 74/4, and the required rate began to climb as set batters struggled to accelerate.

Jason Holder provided a brief resurgence with two sixes off Ish Sodhi, but his dismissal left West Indies still needing substantial contributions. In the late overs, Rovman Powell produced a blistering 45 off 16 balls, supported by Romario Shepherd's 34 off 16 and Matthew Forde's unbeaten 29 off 13. The trio combined to add 75 runs in just four overs, shifting the match into a tense finale.

With 16 runs required from the final over, Kyle Jamieson was handed the responsibility to bowl for New Zealand.

Despite conceding two boundaries, Jamieson held his nerve and managed to defend seven runs off the last four balls.

Both captains made pivotal decisions, with New Zealand opting for an aggressive batting approach in the death overs and rotating bowlers strategically in the final stages. The decision to bowl Jamieson in the last over proved correct, as he executed his plans under pressure. For the West Indies, the late promotion of power hitters nearly paid dividends, but the early loss of wickets and lack of acceleration through the middle overs hampered their chase.