New Zealand have surged to second place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 standings, strengthening their position in the race, after completing a dominant 2-0 series victory over the West Indies at Mount Maunganui.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The inaugural WTC winners sealed the series in emphatic fashion on Monday, hammering the West Indies by 323 runs in the third and final Test at Bay Oval. The win allowed the Black Caps to move past South Africa on the standings, with only Australia now ahead of them as the early WTC picture begins to take shape.
Pacer Jacob Duffy was the standout performer once again, claiming 5 for 42 in the West Indies’ second innings as the visitors were bowled out for just 138 while chasing an improbable target of 462. Duffy finished the series with a remarkable 23 wickets, earning the Player of the Series award and giving New Zealand a near-perfect start to their WTC campaign.
The left-arm seamer also etched his name into the record books, surpassing the legendary Richard Hadlee for the most wickets taken by a New Zealander in a calendar year. “I saw that list at lunchtime and there were some cool names on there,” Duffy said. “To be up there on any sort of list with those names was special.”New Zealand’s dominance was built on massive contributions from their batters, particularly openers Devon Conway and captain Tom Latham. The pair became the first opening combination in Test history to score twin centuries each in the same match. Conway went a step further, scoring 227 and 100 to become the first New Zealander — and just the 10th player overall — to register a double century and a century in the same Test. He was duly named Player of the Match.“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Conway said. “But I’m really glad we got the win.”The victory lifts New Zealand into a strong early position in the WTC race that includes India, Australia and England. India are stuck at 6th position after an erratic start to their campaign, especially at home.The Black Caps next face England in a three-match WTC series next year, while the West Indies remain ninth on the table, with home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan up next.
