Kiwi spinner surpasses Warne, Kumble, Afridi with series haul

New Zealand spinner Jayden Lennox overtook a host of former greats during a Player of the Series performance for his side across five ODIs against the West Indies.

Lennox claimed 14 wickets for the Black Caps during their 3-2 series triumph in the Caribbean, equalling the 10th biggest haul by any spinner in a bilateral series between two international sides in men's ODI cricket.

His haul was marginally better than the 13 scalps Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Shahid Afridi could manage from an individual bilateral series throughout their illustrious careers and ties the 14 that Sri Lanka tweaker Akila Dananjaya mustered at home against South Africa in 2018.

What made Lennox efforts even more spectacular was the fact that he managed it in his third bilateral series appearance, with the left-armer having only made his international debut against India at the start of the year.

And while Lennox admitted he may have received some assistance from the bowler friendly conditions the players were dealt with in the Caribbean, the 31-year-old suggested the series had proven a great learning experience for him as he tries to make a name for himself at international level.

"It's been a lot of fun. Playing on pitches that are pretty spin-conducive has been a great learning experience for me," Lennox said.

"These bilateral series are all about learning and gaining experience in foreign conditions, so I'll certainly go home with my pockets full of knowledge. 

"I think it's just about the subtleties of the craft. (New Zealand captain) Mitch Santner has been doing it for a long time now, so to be able to be here, watch what he's doing, see how he's operating, and use some of his tricks and subtle variations is what it's all about when you come and play on these surfaces."

While New Zealand may have won the series in the Caribbean, it was the West Indies that tasted success in the final match of the five-game series on Tuesday when they snuck across the line by two wickets in a tight affair in Barbados.

The home side got half-centuries from middle-order hitters Shimron Hetmyer (69*) and Sherfane Rutherford (61) to successfully chase down the Black Caps' total of 268/9 with just 15 deliveries remaining.

It looked like the West Indies were going to cruise to victory when Hetmyer and Rutherford were together at the crease, but a late collapse ensured a tight finish at Kensington Oval.

"I wasn't really thinking about getting a half-century to be honest, I was just thinking about how ... I can make sure the team crosses the line," Player of the Match Hetmyer said following the contest.

"Every time a new batter came out I was just like 'make sure you're there at the end.' I'm just happy that I could be there to make sure we crossed the line."

Series schedule:

First ODI: West Indies won by seven wickets
Second ODI: New Zealand won by five wickets
Third ODI: New Zealand won by six wickets
Fourth ODI: New Zealand won by one wicket
Fifth ODI: West Indies won by two wickets