Cricket Betting Tips For 2026 - New Zealand vs West Indies 5th ODI

The West Indies side is now playing for pride as a series win is now out of reach. The home side managed to win the first game of this series, but it’s been all the Black Caps ever since, winning the next three games, with two of them being quite comfortable wins.

New Zealand have this series in the bag, thanks to a 3-1 win. The West Indies are playing for pride, but will also be looking to improve their ODI team rankings, so they don’t have to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. It was a close game last time out, with the Black Caps having just one wicket left, but they still managed to hold steady. Before this final match kicks off, make sure you check out the top cricket betting tips from the BettingTop10 team!

Odds thanks to BetandPlay (accurate at time of publication).

New Zealand

New Zealand wrapped up this series winning the last game, but boy it was a close one. They didn’t get off to the best of starts and were 2-6, but Mark Chapman’s 80 off 82 balls steadied the ship, and Mitch Santer’s 34* off 56 balls steered them home.

Santer also took two wickets in the first innings, earning him a man of the match performance. It seems like once again, if some players don’t perform, there are plenty of others to pick up the slack. Even though the series is won, the Kiwis aren’t the kind of team to put their feet up.

It’s been the bowlers that have really helped the Kiwis get on top of things. Interestingly enough, the team batting second in all four games in this series has won. Expect the spinners Jayden Lennox, Mitchell Santner, and Michael Bracewell to get the bulk of the wickets once again.

West Indies

While the home side can’t win the series, there’s still a lot on the line. They’ll be looking for captain Shai Hope to stand up with the bat. He got the West Indies off to a great start in the first game of this series, scoring an unbeaten 87.

However, since that game, he hasn’t managed to crack double figures. He does have an average of over 50 in this format, so I think he needs to play within himself to get started. Build a solid base and then show off his shot-making skills.

Gudakesh Motie was a standout with the ball last time out, taking five wickets with an economy of 4.70, and he almost managed to steer the West Indies side to a win. With this pitch seemingly favouring spin more than usual, look for Vitel Lawes to perform in this game as well. 

In ODIs, the Black Caps have won four of the last five clashes against the West Indies, including the last three games in a row. The Kiwis didn’t have the best of time in their previous ODI series against Bangladesh, but with this series against the West Indies, they’ve got back on track. The only recent ODI win for the home side came in the first game of this series.

The most vital trends that you should be aware of leading into this match: 

• Mitch Santner was named man of the match in the previous game, scoring an unbeaten 34 runs and taking two wickets as well.
• Nine of the last 10 matches played at Kensington Oval have been won by the team chasing.
• In the last five ODIs played at Kensington Oval, only one batter has scored over 96.

This is far from a dead rubber, especially with the West Indies needing a win to try and improve their ODI team ranking for the 2027 World Cup. With that being said, I’m going to avoid tipping a team to win this one; instead, I’m looking towards runs scored.

We’ve seen all throughout the series that batting has been a challenge. We haven’t seen a century scored, and not many batters have come close. Add this to the conditions at Kensington Oval that typically favour bowlers.

Take the “No” for a hundred to be scored in the match @ $1.69.

With the series already wrapped up, how do the Kiwis approach this one? Both teams could be making some changes in this one to give other players a chance to perform. There’s still something to play for, especially for the West Indies, who would certainly want to avoid having to play qualifiers just to make it into the 2027 ODI World Cup. Remember, if you’re having a bet on this game, check out all the betting bonuses available beforehand, so you can pick up as much value as possible!