Close New Zealand 256 for 5 (Styris 69*, Hart 28*) and 373 drew with West Indies 470
scorecard

West Indies hopes of snatching a memorable win were high at lunch, but dogged resistance from Scott Styris and Robbie Hart and then rain effectively ended their bid for victory. New Zealand secured an historic first series win in the Caribbean after their victory in Barbados.

Coming together with New Zealand only 60 runs ahead, Styris and Hart batted with great composure. Styris was happy to hit the bad ball while Hart again demonstrated the obduracy which bailed New Zealand out in the first Test. For Styris his unbeaten fifty capped a memorable debut which saw him score a hundred in the first innings as well as capture the prized wicket of Brian Lara.

As the partnership extended well into the afternoon session West Indies heads were already drooping; the light drizzle which had started after lunch turned into heavier rain and extinguished West Indies' remaining flickering hopes. The players did manage two brief resumptions, but in the end the weather brought down the curtain on the series.

What was expected to be a sedate final day came alive after the first hour had been dull to the extreme, with Mark Richardson and Chris Harris so determined to defend that just nine runs came off the first 13 overs. The small crowd snoozed in the sunshine. Then all hell broke loose.

Mahendra Nagamootoo, who had been causing problems all morning and had already seen Richardson dropped by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs, induced a legside flick from Richardson and Jacobs held the thinnest of edges. Richardson had added just two to his overnight 69 (148 for 3). Then Nathan Astle prodded forward to Hooper and the inside edge flew to Wavell Hinds at short leg; he juggled before clasping on to the ball. Astle had made 0 (149 for 4).

If that made New Zealand worry, then ten minutes later they were in full panic mode when the ineffective Chris Harris aimed an expansive sweep at Nagamootoo, snicked the ball into his pad and Ramnaresh Sarwan dived in from silly point to hold the catch inches from the ground. Harris had scored an unconvincing 17 (157 for 5). New Zealand were effectively 60 for 5 and a pitch which had been a featherbed 15 minutes earlier was looking like it possessed all the evils of the world.

But Scott Styris, the in-form first-innings centurian, and the obdurate Robbie Hart stopped the slide and thwarted all that Hooper and Nagamootoo threw at them in the hour before lunch. They achieved something of a victory when Hooper took the new ball shortly before the break and turned to his pace bowlers to try and break the deadlock.

They failed, but it was very much West Indies morning. The afternoon, however, belonged to New Zealand's new recruits on the block.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd