Styris' day as New Zealand get back into one-day series

Northern Districts all-rounder Scott Styris will never forget June 12, 2002.

It was the day he re-wrote New Zealand's one-day record books while playing a key role in keeping his side in the One-Day International series against the West Indies in Trinidad today.

New Zealand won the game by nine runs after a rain-affected match saw New Zealand's innings end in the 45th over due to the rain. It was 212/5 at that stage. The West Indies were required to achieve the same total off 33 overs.

Most significantly, Styris became the first New Zealander to take six wickets in a one-day innings.

His achievement bettered the previous best record held by his ND team-mate Matthew Hart who headed the list of five-wicket achievers with his five for 22 against the West Indies at Goa in India in 1994/95.

Another achievement on his memorable day was his scoring of 63 not out, which makes it the first time a New Zealander has taken five wickets and scored a half-century in an ODI and only the second player in the world to achieve the feat of six wickets in an innings along with a half century.

The other was that nemesis of New Zealand on so many occasions, South Africa's Lance Klusener who achieved the feat against Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1997/98.

It was Styris' second highest score in ODIs following his 85 earlier in the tour.

Then to cap it all off as the West Indies were still in the hunt as required under the Duckworth/Lewis calculation, Styris achieved the run out of Cameron Cuffy in the penultimate over to send the game into the realms of the impossible for the West Indies.

He also shared in a sixth-wicket record stand for New Zealand against the West Indies of an unbroken 122 with Nathan Astle, beating the 91-run stand between Stephen Fleming and Styris in the second ODI at St Lucia earlier in the series.

It was a welcome return to form by Astle too, with 91 not out. It was the 19th time he has scored more than 90 in ODIs, having achieved 12 ODI centuries, and now seven scores in the 90s.

The win at least allows New Zealand the chance to try to tie the series in the final match to be played on Saturday in St Vincent.