Match reports

West Indies v New Zealand

At Bridgetown, June 21, 22, 23, 24

15-Apr-2003
At Bridgetown, June 21, 22, 23, 24. New Zealand won by 204 runs. Toss: West Indies. Test debut: D. B. Powell.
New Zealand's first Test victory in the Caribbean, in their 12th match, was a comprehensive one, completed inside four days. It was particularly satisfying for Fleming, whose first-day century underpinned his 17th Test win as captain - exactly one third of New Zealand's 51 victories. The defeat was West Indies' fourth in 39 Tests at Kensington Oval; only England, in 1934-35 and 1993-94, and Australia, in 1994-95, had ever beaten them there. Perhaps the perceptive Barbadian public sensed trouble: no more than 3,000 attended any day.
The outcome was all but settled on the second afternoon when West Indies' reckless batsmen collapsed for 107, their lowest total at Bridgetown since they slumped to 102 against England on an uncovered, rain-affected pitch in that 1934-35 defeat. They conceded a first-innings lead of 230 but, with time on his side, Fleming did not bother to enforce the follow-on.
On the first afternoon, Fleming had to lead New Zealand out of their own middle-order slump, when four wickets fell for 29. Hart, the wicket-keeper playing his second Test, lent unfussy but vital support in a stand of 108, as Fleming completed his fourth Test hundred; after hitting 20 fours in 277 minutes, he top-edged a cut to slip nine overs from the close. Hart survived to add another 112 for the last four wickets, guaranteeing a solid total.
The West Indians quickly had their backs to the wall. Gayle and Sarwan fell to successive balls from Bond, and only Chanderpaul was inclined to put up a fight. He batted for just over two hours before running out of partners. Apart from Lara, who played on to Vettori, all the wickets were caught, most of them from attacking shots.
Fleming chose to bat again but, at 88 for five early on the third afternoon, New Zealand seemed likely to fall some way short of setting the unassailable target they wanted. It took a counter-attack by Astle, who hit 29 off a three-over spell from Sanford and added 76 with Fleming, batting down the order because of a stiff neck, to put them back on track. West Indies were handicapped by a recurring back injury that restricted Dillon to six overs; the debutant Darren Powell, recalled from the A-team tour of England, shared the new ball with Collins, who stepped into the breach to return his best Test figures, six for 76. By the time Collins wound up the innings, however, New Zealand led by 473, with just over two days remaining. It was not so much whether they would win, but when.
West Indies did bat more sensibly second time round. Gayle put on 68 with Hinds, and 65 with Sarwan. But once Bond broke through in a pacy second spell - when Sarwan, for the second time in the match, mistimed a hook - only Lara's flailing 73 delayed New Zealand's celebrations unduly. Bond returned with the second new ball and rounded off the match with three wickets, including Lara, in 12 deliveries. It was his first return of five in a Test innings, and brought New Zealand their historic victory with ten overs of the fourth day to go.
Man of the Match: S. P. Fleming.
Close of play: First day, New Zealand 257-6 (Hart 34, Vettori 21); Second day, New Zealand 4-1 (Vincent 1, Tuffey 1); Third day, West Indies 5-0 (Gayle 0, Hinds 4).