Lockie Ferguson claims record in New Zealand's 5-wicket win over West Indies in 1st T20I

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson registered the second-best bowling figures by a BlackCaps bowler in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in his side's five-wicket win over West Indies on Friday.

With the win at Auckland's Eden Park, New Zealand went 1-0 up in their three-match T20I series against the Windies. Ferguson was awarded the Player of the Match for his spell of 5 for 21 in his quota of four overs. He is only the second New Zealander men's cricketer to bag a five-for in the shortest format after Tim Southee's 5 for 18 that he took against Pakistan in 2010.

After being asked to bat on Friday, West Indies got off to a flying start as they put up 55 runs in the first three overs before rain interrupted the match for the second time. However, Kieron Pollard's side lost track when Ferguson made a double breakthrough in the fourth over. He dismissed opening batsman Andre Fletcher, who scored a quick-fire 34 off 14 balls before sending back No. 3 man Hetymer for a four-ball duck three deliveries later.

The stand-in-skipper Southee replicated that in the fifth over as he removed Brandon King and Rovman Powell in the fifth over, leaving West Indies struggling at 58 for 4. From being 57 for no loss at one point, Pollard's side went four down for just a run in what turned out to be a major middle-over collapse.

Pollard played a captain's knock of 75 from 27 balls and he along with Fabian Allen then rebuilt the Windies innings. The duo went with a calculated approach before accelerating in the death overs. The game was reduced to a 16-over affair after rain returned before West Indies posted 180 for 7 at the end of the first innings. The revised target was 176.

The New Zealand side had a poor start to their chase as they lost Martin Guptill to Sheldon Cottrell's bowling in the very first over of the second innings. Oshane Thomas made the second breakthrough, leaving the hosts at 34 for 2 in 3.5 overs.

Glenn Phillips, who came in at No. 4, took on the bowlers and smashed Fabian Allen for three sixes in the fifth over. Just when it looked good for New Zealand, Thomas dismissed Phillips to further ruin the BlackCaps' chances. Ross Taylor's wicket in the next over did not help Southee's side.

Debutant Devon Conway along with Jimmy Neesham added 75 runs off 33 balls to pull New Zealand back into the game. After Conway's dismissal in the 13th over, Neesham and Mitchell Santner finished the job for the hosts. Santner hammered three sixes in his unbeaten 18-ball 31, Neesham remained unbeaten on 48 from 24 balls.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, the winning captain Southee said," It was a very strange game but nice to come out on the winning side. Kieron batted exceptionally well. The fight that Lockie showed was brilliant and we needed something special like that to stop West Indies after the start they got. We were a little bit off the ball but it's nice to be on the winning side. Devon played exceptionally well and kick-started the innings. There's plenty of good stuff to come from him (Kyle Jamieson). It's been a long time coming and good to be back playing in front of the home crowd."

New Zealand and West Indies are scheduled to play the second T20I at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval on Sunday.