Windies fight to the end

At the other end, Perry, at some risk to himself, was finding it difficult to get Campbell to commit to singles so found his own solution, hitting Astle through mid wicket for what had become a rarity, a four.

The 200 came up in the 38th over, in any other game a most advantageous state of affairs. But not in this one, with 103 still needed to win.

Perry clearly believed it could still be done. He charged Vettori in the 39th over, collecting a four straight back over the bowler’s head. In his next, Vettori was too wide and Perry celebrated through point. He then survived a close stumping call, was entangled with another running mix-up with Campbell and finally hit the ball directly to Harris at mid wicket. An eventful over that left West Indies 221 for seven. His 28 came off 31 balls.

An injured Dillon joined Campbell with Perry as his runner. On recent evidence, it was not a running partnership made in heaven.

Vettori ended his 10 overs with two for 40, top work in the context of this match.

Campbell brought up his 50 with a six over cover off Styris, who had replaced Astle in the 42nd over. But the pressure of accelerating the run rate told on Dillon. A lofted drive off Styris to long on only succeeded in picking out Penn; 242 for eight, King at the wicket and the West Indies in the 44th over still ahead of New Zealand in runs at the same stage --- but not in wickets.

Astle returned in the 45th and he and Styris made it difficult for the West Indies pair to get the big hits they needed. Styris felt the injustice of it all when denied a plumb lbw decision, even more when Campbell stepped away and clipped him for four off the middle stump. But the bowler was much more at ease with the world when Astle came round to mid on to get under a high one from Campbell, his 71 invaluable but not quite enough. 261 for nine.

Walsh joined King with two overs to go. It was never going to be enough but no one told the West Indies veteran. After getting a four through where slip would normally be, he sent Astle for a towering six over long on. He did the same to Styris in the last over. But the bowler prevailed, hitting the stick with his second last ball, Walsh 18 in six balls and the West Indies all out for 282, 20 short.

So close but yet so far from avoiding a 5-0 whitewash.

Vettori came back, nine overs after his single successful one. He and Harris began yet again, as in Wellington, to weave their web around Adams and his new partner, Campbell.

Ones and the very occasional two became the means of scoring as the West Indies pair resorted to gentle nudges. After 25 overs, the score was 131, 13 more than New Zealand at the same stage ---- when Astle and Twose were not yet in full stride!

More significant, just 20 runs had been accumulated since Lara departed.

In the 28th over, Fleming broke up the spin pairing, bringing on Astle for Vettori. Neither batsman gave any sign of difficulty, keeping the runs ticking over and even picking up the occasional four.

At the end of 30 overs, the total was 162, exactly the same as New Zealand, but those two extra wickets were the West Indies burden.

However, Adams and Campbell were developing what could be an interesting partnership, passing the 50-run mark in the 30th over.

It never got past that stage. In the 31st over, and the last for Harris, Adams drove too wide and Styris in the gully took a diving catch. Adams gone for 26, Harris for 10 overs, 44 runs and two wickets and the West Indies 164 for five.

But Harris can never be out of the action for long. In the very next over, the new man, Ricardo Powell, took on the Canterbury man’s arm at point and lost. West Indies 167 for six and their big hitter gone.

At 32 overs, the Windies were 170 for six and fading.

However, Cairns and Penn bowled as they though wanted to give the West Indies every opportunity to make a game of it. Cairns concentrated on the leg side to the joy of Griffith; eight off two balls. Penn was too wide outside off, the new batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, took toll.

Penn lasted for just three overs and was gone, costing 24 runs. Chanderpaul, all timing, put Cairns through extra cover, bringing up the 50 in the seventh over.

Scott Styris replaced Penn and immediately demonstrated what tight bowling could do to the scoring rate. At the other end, Fleming tried Vettori for Cairns and had immediate success. Chanderpaul swept, only managed to get the glove on it and Adam Parore behind the stumps did the rest. Chanderpaul gone for 30 with the total at 58.

All that did was bring Lara to the wicket. However, before the skipper started showing his class, Griffith gave Styris a sharp reminder that he is more than an anchor, flicking a short one off his hip into the fine-leg grandstand.

The successful Vettori was off immediately for Harris, who responded with a maiden. As if that was not good enough for Fleming, Penn was brought back. At the other end, Styris was finding that anything even fractionally off line would be punished, Lara cutting him sweetly through the gully region.

Penn’s return effort was no more effective than his early offering; 11 off the over, Lara cutting and driving to great effect. Penn off; Harris back. Lara cut for four. The 100 came up in the 15th over.

However, in the next over Styris gained reward for keeping it tight. Griffith on 35 flicked off his legs high to the square leg boundary where Spearman gratefully accepted the gift. 102 for three. Adams joined his skipper with 16 overs gone and the pace on.

But just when all looked lost, the West Indies managed to get back in the game. King came back in the 37th over and demonstrated why he has been the best of the visiting bowlers, getting one past Twose as the left hander tried to guide it through gully. New Zealand 205 for three, Twose falling just three short of his maiden one-day-international century from just 90 balls. The partnership had been worth 170.

Astle was soon to follow, playing a full toss from Campbell to a diving Lara at extra cover, his 85 having come off 109 balls, almost anonymous in the partnership with Twose. 217 for four.

His departure brought together Chris Harris and Chris Cairns. Accumulation by singles marked the early overs of the last 10 as the two settled in for the blast. It began in the 44th over, Cairns coming out swinging against first Campbell and then Perry; 20 off two overs.

It did not last. In the 46th, Campbell had more joy, clean bowling a swinging Cairns for 24; 255 for five.

But that only brought in Craig McMillan. Between them, he and Harris took 40 off three overs. McMillan left his mark with one shot in particular off Courtney Walsh, stepping away to the off, turning square and virtually straight driving it off the back foot for six over square leg.

Nineteen runs came off that Walsh over, the 48th. But the West Indies veteran bowled a great final one, gaining the wicket of McMillan for 23 off 13 balls, courtesy another Lara catch at extra cover, and restricting the scoring to just seven runs.

It could not stop the New Zealanders passing the 300 mark, ending on 302 with Chris Harris not out 37.

The West Indies bowlers were left to lick their wounds and their batsmen to consider that any other time they would consider 303 on such a pitch within their capabilities. But in the last innings of a tour that has brought them little joy ---- we shall see.

Dillon left the field injured after completing his 10 overs for 43 runs. As matters developed, he probably would look back with relief that he got his bowling out of the way early. Hinds came on as substitute fielder, and promptly added to the untidy ground fielding that was developing among the West Indies.

Adams replaced Dillon in the 21st over in time to see the New Zealanders bring up the 100 and two overs later Astle his 50.

Finally Lara brought on the man everyone had been waiting for, Reon King. He was not a happy man seeing Ricardo Powell muff the ball on the ground at the fine leg boundary, giving Twose a four that should never have been.

In the next over, Adams gave a moment of hope for his team. Twose survived a stumping demand courtesy of the third umpire. His response was to swing the next ball over mid-wicket for six, going to his 50 in 52 balls.

After 25, New Zealand had 128 and Perry returned for Adams. There was no break on the scoring. The pair’s second 100 partnership in successive matches came up in the 27th over. King gave Twose the occasional hurry-up but the response was never compromising, the best of the West Indies bowlers suffering as much as any.

Walsh got a hand to a Twose swing at mid-wicket --- saved a six but conceded a four. It was that sort of session for the West Indies.

At 30 overs, the score was 162. Lara brought Walsh back in the 31st only to have Twose cut for four and then drive for four more. Astle had reached the stage where turning the strike over to his left-handed partner was the most productive contribution.

After 33 overs, the score was 182 and the Windies were in disarray.

They did not need any to get Craig Spearman. He and Astle had negotiated the first three overs in gentle fashion, the bowlers focusing on keeping it tight on the legs. It was off his legs that Astle turned one directly to Jimmy Adams at short fine leg, Spearman set off and Astle decided not to commit suicide, leaving his partner stranded. Walsh had the simple task of taking the bails off. Spearman gone for five with the score on eight.

Fleming joined Astle and the pair looked comfortable taking the score through to 35 in the 10th over. The most notable feature was Astle’s keeping the ball on the ground, scoring fours off the pad through mid-wicket and past square leg and cutting past point for four, Walsh the bowler to suffer.

In the eighth over, he reverted to his normal modus operandi, charging Walsh and swinging straight back over the bowler for four.

It was enough to encourage Lara to try a change, bringing on the off spin of Nehemiah Perry. Fleming responded by lofting him just short of Adams at mid-on and two balls later putting him down the same fielder’s throat. Adams made no mistake, Fleming gone for eight and contemplating his indiscretion, particularly with the pitch increasingly looking as though it was made for batting.

Roger Twose joined Astle and Lara immediately brought back Walsh for Perry. However, Twose looked not at all uncomfortable, immediately driving the fast man off the back foot backward of point for four. The pair brought up the 50 in the 13th over.

Lara went back to Perry for Walsh. Twose welcomed him with two lofted straight drives in successive balls, one for four, the next for six. His captain might have been observing from the stands the way in which to hit the off-spinner.

By the end of the 16th over the pair who had done so well in Wellington had taken the score to 79, a partnership at that stage of 44.

Stephen Fleming won the toss and called for a change. For the first time in the series New Zealand will bat first.