One big question arises from the first New Zealand-West Indies at Hamilton: how could the team ending the first day at 282 for one lose the match? The answer: the opposition batted better, bowled better and fielded better through virtually every session of the next four days. Simple really.

From the first session of the second day, New Zealand took control and, continuing the process developed during the England tour, steadily tightened the vice, the bowlers finally squeezing the life out of the West Indies' challenge. To a complete team performance add man-of-the-match Chris Cairns' individual contribution of 72 runs in the first New Zealand innings and 10 wickets for 100 runs in the match.

Weather fears (or relief depending on the point of view) never transpired. Loss of half the fourth day through rain had cast a cloud over hopes for the victory the New Zealanders had set themselves up for in the first session. However, play on the extended final day resumed under blue skies, a stark contrast to the rain and gloom that drove the players from the field the previous afternoon.

New Zealand, however, was without captain Stephen Fleming, laid low overnight with a stomach virus. Adrian Griffith and Jimmy Adams took up the West Indies defence, both on 14 and immediately demonstrated with a couple of quick singles that they were not about to depend on a dour rear-guard action.

Daniel Vettori, coming around the wicket to the left-handers, did not look as effective as the previous day and Chris Cairns, resuming from the northern end, offered one high and wide outside off that Adams turned into handsome, cutting backward of point for four.

But the attack tightened. In the seventh over of the session, Vettori went round the wicket and immediately looked threatening, getting sharp turn into the left-handers out of the bowlers' footmarks. Cairns followed suit and had immediate success. The line was too tight for Griffith's trademark defensive withdrawal across his pads, an instinctive push at the ball giving wicketkeeper Adam Parore his third catch of the innings with the score at 78, 50 ahead. Griffith's 18 had taken 156 minutes.

The West Indian wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs joined Adams but their partnership was short-lived, Jacobs squirting Vettori to Matthew Horne at point, both batsmen starting for the run before Adams' withdrawal left Jacobs stranded. 85 for six.

Franklyn Rose, the next to join Adams, hoicked Cairns high over mid-wicket but paid the price for such audacity next ball. Cairns caught him stranded on the crease and umpire David Shepherd had no hesitation in judging him lbw. 90 for seven.

Dinanath Ramnarine was next in and immediately out, caught and bowled first ball by Cairns. 90 for eight.

Reon King survived the hat-trick despite a loud, and hopeful, appeal for caught behind. However, in his next over, Cairns slammed a yorker into King's back foot, and the West Indian limped off, lbw for the fourth duck of the innings and the third wicket to fall at 90. Cairns had taken three wickets in five balls.

Last man Courtney Walsh avoided adding to his record of ducks. The pair survived six overs, Adams using his pad more than his bat to Vettori and the last two West Indies batsmen rejecting singles to avoid exposing Walsh to the bowling.

It could not last. Cairns put the West Indies out of their misery. He induced Adams into an uncharacteristic swing at a rising ball, and Shayne O'Connor, substituting for Fleming, took the catch moving in from backward square. Adams, in a stay lasting 159 minutes, had contributed 25 of the West Indies' paltry 97.

Cairns did the damage. Seven wickets for 27 in the innings, five in the session for 16 runs, three in just five balls.

Gary Stead and Horne led the New Zealand chase for 70 to win with two sessions and 40 minutes at their disposal. Walsh and Rose opened for the West Indies. Stead again employed his down-and-up approach to the fast men but neither opener looked in trouble until Horne, on 5, swung at a rising ball from Rose, took it on the hand and departed the scene for an X-ray. Bad news: a broken finger means the New Zealand opener is out of the next test, beginning on Boxing Day in Wellington.

Craig Spearman joined Stead and the pair took New Zealand to lunch at 25 off eight overs, needing 45 to win and no sign of rain to spoil the party.

After lunch, Spearman gave every sign of wanting to finish it in a hurry. He took 10 off the first over from Walsh, hooked a six off a no-ball from Rose, was dropped by Adams when trying to flick Rose over square leg and made no mistake when helping Walsh over slips -- four more. The first three overs after lunch produced 30 runs, the 50 coming up in 53 minutes.

However, with the score at 59 and New Zealand in sight of a 10-wicket win, Stead (16) played inside Walsh, the ball took the leg stump and with it gave the West Indian his 426th wicket.

It only delayed the inevitable. At 3.16pm on the last ball of the 15th over, the new batsman Nathan Astle turned Walsh behind square for the winning run, New Zealand taking the first test in the season's National Bank series by nine wickets with more than a session and a half to spare.

© 1999