West Indies v New Zealand: Kiwis pull off a stunning 53-run victory to seal the series 2-1

Brendon McCullum

Bridgetown (Barbados), July 1 (IANS/CMC): West Indies crashed to a 2-1 series defeat here on Monday after producing another inept batting performance to hand New Zealand a 53-run victory in the decisive third Test at Kensington Oval.

Set a challenging 308 for victory at the start of a rain-hit final day, the hosts lost wickets steadily and were dismissed for 254, when left-arm seamer Trent Boult removed Jerome Taylor in the third over with the second new ball.

When the Windies plunged to 144 for seven, 25 minutes before tea, it appeared as if the contest would be over before the interval, but debutant fast bowler Jason Holder stroked a top score of 52, inspiring a stand of 77 for the eighth wicket with Shane Shillingford, 30 not out, which frustrated the Black Caps.

Left-hander Darren Bravo scored 40, while captain Denesh Ramdin and veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul chipped in with 29 and 25 respectively. However, West Indies were undermined by seamers Tim Southee (3-28) and Boult (3-48), while off-spinner Mark Craig finished with three for 84.

New Zealand won the first Test at Sabina Park in Kingston by 186 runs inside four days before West Indies levelled the series with a 10-wicket victory in Port of Spain. For the visitors, it was only their second series win in the Caribbean and their second straight triumph, after beating the West Indies in December on their turf.

Kiwis’ declaration of intent: 

Searching for a crucial victory, New Zealand declared at their overnight 331 for seven and immediately found success, grabbing three wickets in the morning session which was marred by rain. In the third over, opener Kraigg Brathwaite offered no stroke to Boult and lost his off stump for six with the score on seven and Kirk Edwards rode his luck in scoring ten before edging to Ross Taylor at first slip off Boult, to leave the West Indies on 23 for two.

Southee then made the key breakthrough when he claimed dangerous opener Chris Gayle bowled for 11 after the Jamaican left-hander edged an attempted drive onto his stumps. Bravo and Chanderpaul then added exactly 50 for the fourth wicket and were together when rain at 11:25 am resulted in an early lunch, with the Windies fighting back at 72 for three.

Both batsmen showed attacking intent, with Bravo pulling left-armer Neil Wagner through mid-on for four in the bowler's first over of the day and Chanderpaul collecting two consecutive boundaries to third man in the seamer's next over as West Indies went past fifty.

Chanderpaul, however, fell half-an-hour after lunch, pulled from his crease by Craig and stumped at 81 for four, but Bravo then added a further 41 runs for the fifth wicket with Ramdin in a stand that temporarily raised the hopes of saving the contest.

Ramdin was positive, striking two fours and a six off just 47 balls but perished just following a 20-minute rain break, caught at first slip by the brilliant Taylor off Southee. Bravo, who faced 98 balls in nearly 2-1/2 hours at the crease and counted six fours, fell two overs later when he sliced a drive off Southee to Kane Williamson at gully, leaving the West Indies on 129 for six.

Roach stayed around 21 minutes for his seven before popping a catch to short leg off Craig as West Indies went to tea with defeat looming at 161 for seven.

Any hopes of a quick end to the West Indies innings quickly faded after the break as Holder and Shillingford frustrated the Black Caps. Holder, who hit 38 in the first innings, did his career no harm with a gutsy knock that came from 79 balls in two hours and included three fours and six, a hefty blow over long-off off Craig.

He reached his half-century with a single to mid-wicket off Craig, an hour and 20 minutes after tea, but then fell in the bowler's next over, bowled playing back to one that kept low at 221 for eight.

Sulieman Benn then drove the third ball of a new Wagner spell to Southee at cover to depart for ten and Taylor resisted for nearly half-an-hour before missing a full length ball and falling lbw, to spark New Zealand celebrations.

Brief scores:

New Zealand: 293 (Jimmy Neesham 78, Mark Craig 46 not out, Ross Taylor 45, Kane Williamson 43, Brendon McCullum 31; Sulieman Benn 5-93, Kemar Roach 4-61) and 331 for seven decl. (Kane Williamson 161 not out, Jimmy Neesham 51, BJ Watling 29, Brendon McCullum 25; Kemar Roach 4-55, Jason Holder 2-26)

West Indies: 317 (Kraigg Brathwaite 68, Kirk Edwards 58, Denesh Ramdin 45, Chris Gayle 42, Jason Holder 38; Neil Wagner 4-64, Jimmy Neesham 2-12, Trent Boult 2-71) and 254 (Jason Holder 52, Darren Bravo 40, Shane Shillingford 30 not out, Denesh Ramdin 29, Shiv Chanderpaul 25; Tim Southee 3-28, Trent Boult 3-48, Mark Craig 3-84)