West Indies Brian Lara (right) is bowled as New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum looks on during day two of the third cricket Test against New Zealand in Wellington yesterday. Lara was bowled by Nathan Astle for 83. - REUTERS
NAPIER, New Zealand (CMC):
BRIAN LARA gave long suffering fans a brief glimpse of his attacking best while Runako Morton made the most of a second life to underscore his growing reliability on another rain-affected day of the third and final Test between New Zealand and the West Indies yesterday.
A dreary, bitterly cold second day saw only 51 overs bowled with the tourists advancing from their overnight 95 for one to 256 for four when more rain and then deteriorating light ended play for the day 45 minutes after lunch.
Lara had given the few fans who braved the miserable conditions much to enjoy in the early exchanges as he progressed to 83 with a flurry of boundaries before falling to Nathan Astle for the second time in the series.
REPRIEVE FOR MORTON
But it was Morton, reprieved by the television umpire after initially being ruled run out in a terrible mix-up with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who displayed much-needed solidity in reaching 70 in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 67 runs with Dwayne Bravo (22 not out) when the weather closed in and wiped out the second half of the day.
Forecasters were predicting that Tropical Cyclone Wati would dump torrential showers on Napier and surrounding areas today with authorities bracing for a complete wash-out of the third day.
The inclement weather seems to have already erased Stephen Fleming's hopes of leading the Black Caps to a first ever 3-0 Test series victory.
Yet there was no lack of intensity when play got underway on time on the second morning despite the almost ever-present threat of thick grey clouds overhead.
Lara lost Daren Ganga 20 minutes into the day, the opening batsman being deceived by a clever change of pace from Shane Bond and being yorked for 38, adding only seven to his overnight total and yet again failing to carry on after looking so composed and technically correct at the start of his innings.
Morton joined the champion batsman at 111 for two and sensibly played the sheet-anchor role in support of Lara's flamboyant, occasionally reckless, aggression as 60 runs were added at better than a run -a-minute.
DISDAINFUL PULL
Consecutive boundaries and then a sliced drive to third man took the left-hander to his 47th half-century in his 124th Test off 71 balls with seven fours.
An imperious cover-drive and disdainful pull were the most impressive of his strokes, but some of his shot-making also lacked complete control as more than one attempted square-cut flew off the thick edge of his flashing blade to the third man boundary.
Bond, who sensationally dismissed Lara with the only two balls he bowled to him in the first Test in Auckland, relished the challenge of taking on the maestro, sending the 36-year-old flat on his back in a last-second attempt to evade a ferocious bouncer.
A top-edged pull in the same over lobbed just out the reach of Jamie How at gully and the handful of fans who had turned up in the wintry weather thoroughly enjoyed the confrontation.
Recognising that a change of pace was needed to curb the former captain, Fleming turned to Astle, whose gentle medium-pacers twice had Lara beaten in one over when he essayed two expansive drives.
MEMORABLE WICKET
Seeking to impose himself on a fellow international veteran two overs later, the triple world record holder attempted to hoist a delivery over midwicket, but succeeded only in dragging the ball onto his stumps via his left boot, giving Astle a memorable 50th Test wicket.
Chanderpaul replaced his long-time teammate, casting an increasingly forlorn and almost distracted figure in the middle in light of his team's continuing woes and his own prolonged slump in form.
The skipper's apparent loss of concentration almost cost Morton his wicket when the Nevisian, on 22, called for what looked a comfortable single wide of mid-on only to find himself in the same crease at the non-striker's end as the Guyanese committed the cardinal sin of watching the ball and not his teammate.
Morton's anger on being given out was apparent as he pounded the toe of his bat into the turf and stormed off, only to be halted halfway to the dressing room as the on-field umpires referred to their television colleague for confirmation as to who was actually dismissed.
An uncomfortable few minutes followed as replays showed both batsmen grounding their bats almost simultaneously in the crease.
When the decision eventually came that Chanderpaul was the man run out for just two, neither the captain nor his junior teammate showed any sympathy or acknowledgement of each other in maintaining a noticeable distance as they crossed in exchanging places in the middle.
The attractive, attacking cricket was transformed into a dour battle of attrition for the day's remaining play with New Zealand's slower bowlers - Astle, Scott Styris and specialist spinner Daniel Vettori - curbing the scoring rate.
They were unable, however, to separate Morton and Bravo, the pair playing with commendable discipline in resisting the temptation to break the shackles with an extravagant stroke.
Morton reached his second Test half-century in as many matches off the first delivery after lunch, driving Bond to long-off for a sixth boundary.
When play was eventually halted, he had been at the crease for almost three hours and faced 138 deliveries, hitting eight fours.
It remains unclear what impact the run out confusion between Morton and Chanderpaul would have had in the relationship between the two players, or on the entire spirit in the team.
If nothing else, the day illustrated Morton's desire to distance himself from a troubled past and to be identified, not as an erratic troublemaker, but as a consistent West Indies batsman.
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES 1st Innings
(overnight 95 for one)
C. Gayle c Fulton b Martin 30
D. Ganga b Bond 38
B. Lara b Astle 83
R. Morton not out 70
S. Chanderpaul run out (Vettori) 2
D. Bravo not out 22
Extras (lb3, nb8) 11
TOTAL (4 wkts) 256
D. Smith, +D. Ramdin, I. Bradshaw, D. Powell, F. Edwards to bat.
Fall of wicket: 1-37, 2-111, 3-171, 4-189.
Bowling: Bond 18-2-87-1, Franklin 15-1-66-0, Martin 10-2-39-1, Astle 14-5-23-1, Styris 13-5-27-0, Vettori 8-4-11-0.
NEW ZEALAND: H. Marshall, J. How, P. Fulton,S. Fleming, N. Astle, S. Styris, +B. McCullum, D. Vettori, J. Franklin, S. Bond, C. Martin.
Toss: New Zealand.
Umpires: M. Benson, I. Howell, TV Replays: G. Baxter.
Match Referee: M. Procter.
