Seventeen years. Eight tests. Ten ODIs. Five T20 internationals. Zero losses.
The Black Caps maintained their unblemished record at the University Oval with an eight-wicket win against the West Indies in Dunedin late this afternoon to seal a 3-1 series victory.
It was a local who set the platform.
Otago seamer Jacob Duffy nabbed three wickets in the third over and another at the end to secure his fifth four-wicket haul in T20 internationals.
That is a record for a New Zealand bowler.
The West Indies were rolled for 140 in the 19th over.
Duffy finished with four for 35.
The chase was mostly painless.
Tim Robinson smoked a cover drive which would have rolled out of the ground and on to the street had there not been an advertising hoarding to stop it.
Devon Conway got cute with a scoop shot and celebrated with a fist pump.
The target was the sort of score that allowed the Black Caps to play without an awful lot of pressure.
Robinson thumped a ball from Jason Holder back down the ground for six as he marched towards 50.
But he was deceived by a slower ball from Romario Shepherd and bowled for 45, ending a 70-run stand for the opening wicket.
His departure slowed progress, but that was all.
The Black Caps had the game in hand. Conway (47 not out) nudged the ball down to long-on to clinch the win in the 16th over.
Earlier, Duffy took a battering in the opening over but returned serve in his next over.
West Indies captain Shai Hope skied a towering catch which drifted backwards and Conway was able to get under it with the gloves.
The keeper had a long wait while the ball made its way back to earth.
It was Duffy’s 50th T20 international wicket. He is the joint fastest New Zealand bowler by innings to reach the mark.
He shares the spoils with Trent Boult. They took 36 innings to nab 50 scalps.
Duffy celebrated with two more wickets in the over.
Put the dismissal of Ackeem Auguste down to hard graft. He bowled the left-hander with an inswinger he had spent some time developing in the nets and debuted quite recently.
He will be chuffed about that.
Two balls later, Sherfane Rutherford nicked off for a duck.
The Windies were 21 for four and Duffy was tormenting the visitors.
Roston Chase led the fightback. He whipped a delivery from Ish Sodhi over the rope at wide long-on, and Jason Holder clonked a delivery from Michael Bracewell into the sightscreen.
The Windies were keeping the accelerator under foot despite stacking up some losses in the wicket column.
But the Black Caps secured an important double breakthrough.
Jimmy Neesham nicked out Chase for 38 and Holder steered a catch to backward point on 20.
Shepherd clouted back-to-back sixes off Duffy before he holed out for a hard-hit 36 at the death.
New Zealand playing XI: Devon Conway, Tim Robinson, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
West Indies playing XI: Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope (captain), Ackeem Auguste, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Shamar Springer.
