- DIGICEL PHOTO
West Indies opener Daren Ganga pulls a delivery for four off Michael Mason of New Zealand during the first ODI at the Westpac Trust Stadium yesterday. Ganga made 54 in a losing effort.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, CMC:
NEW ZEALAND'S greater depth and variety proved too much for the West Indies in the opening fixture of the five-match one-day international series as the hosts completed an 81-run victory under the lights of the Westpac Stadium yesterday.
Replying to the Black Caps' formidable total of 288 for nine, the Caribbean side threatened briefly to challenge that target before subsiding to 207 all in the 48th over.
The teams now travel to the popular tourist area of Queenstown for the second match on Tuesday (Ja time) with the West Indies still likely to be without the services of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who has not taken the field since injuring his side during the Twenty20 match in Auckland on Wednesday.
Opening bowlers Shane Bond and James Franklin had accounted for Chris Gayle (six) and Runako Morton (first-ball duck) respectively within the first five overs of the chase to put the visitors on the back foot at 14 for two.
CAVED IN
Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan then revived the innings in an 88-run third-wicket stand, but with the required run-rate increasing all the time, and the New Zealanders retaining their discipline, it was the West Indies who caved in under the increasing pressure.
Ganga, who struck seven fours in getting to 54 and generally played with quiet assurance alongside the fluent Sarwan, drove too early at a Scott Styris delivery in the 22nd over and gave a simple catch to Nathan Astle at extra-cover.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul made his intentions clear on his arrival, however the combination of his exaggerated square-on batting stance and the spin extracted by "super sub" Jeetan Patel produced one of the more embarrassing dismissals for the experienced left-hander.
Attempting to play a delivery pitched outside his leg stump from the offspinner, Chanderpaul got himself into so much of a tangle that the ball spun past his bat, went through his legs and clipped his offstump to send him back to the pavilion with his head bowed for 18.
Wavell Hinds followed five runs later, swinging a short ball from Daniel Vettori to Franklin on the midwicket boundary and leave his side tottering at 142 for five.
The experienced left-arm orthodox spinner - who finished with the fine figures of two for 29 off 10 overs - enjoyed a generous slice of luck in dislodging Sarwan, whose 16th ODI half-century was compiled through compact drives and nudges, with only three boundaries decorating the innings of 56.
Mis-stumped the over before, Sarwan lunged at Vettori once too often and umpire Tony Hill erroneously adjudged that the batsman had edged the delivery that rebounded off wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum's gloves for substitute fielder Lou Vincent to take the catch diving forward at backward-point.
EXPECTING A MIRACLE
Dwayne Smith swatted three sixes over midwicket to keep his teammates expecting a miracle, but with Denesh Ramdin and Rawl Lewis departing before him, the hard-hitting right-hander holed out to long-off off seamer Michael Mason for 38 off 25 balls.
The last pair delayed the inevitable for a few overs before Fidel Edwards lost patience and swung at Patel for Franklin to take the catch and seal victory running in off the long-off boundary. An opening stand of 136 between Astle and Jamie How - a new wicket record for New Zealand in ODIs against the West Indies - gave the home team an ideal foundation after they had won the toss and chosen to bat.
However despite Astle's top score of 90, and 66 from How, only skipper Stephen Fleming (55) managed to maintain the momentum and when he fell in the 40th over at 224 for two, the Black Caps could only add 64 more runs in losing seven wickets over the final 10 overs.
Gayle showed his worth with the ball in taking two for 42, while Smith played a significant all-round role, claiming two for 50, pouching a catch on the boundary and executing a run out in the penultimate over with an electrifying piece of fielding that typified the resurgent West Indies effort.
This effort came when it seemed like the home team would have comfortably romped past their best-ever total against the Caribbean side of 302 for six in Christchurch six years ago.
