Wild, wild West

Brian Lara will have to pull some new tricks out of his cricketing bag if he is to stop the West Indies downhill slide in their tour of New Zealand.

In the country town of Taupo last night, Lara did try some new tactics, but the result was the same as before.

The professional, mach-ine-like New Zealanders cruised to their second One Day win over the tourists, and their fourth international victory in succession when the two Tests are put in the unequal equation.

In a match trimmed by rain to 42 overs a side and with the West Indies being asked to bat first on a pitch that suited batsmen from the start, Laras men started like tipsy sailors on a spree. They steadied in mid-innings, but then faded again at the end.

The ten-wicket total of 192 was modest on a ground with short side boundaries, and the hosts then gave a lesson in how almost riskless cricket could win a match with seven wickets and six overs to spare.

It did not take long before the first Lara experiment took place: the promotion of Jimmy Adams to No. 3 in an attempt to put some steel in the West Indies backbone.

This ruse worked, for Adams scored 69 from 92 balls, with six fours, and was seventh out at 171.

But there was the painful fact that Adams was at the crease for the second ball of the innings, for Sherwin Campbell had chased the first one, widish from Chris Cairns, and was smartly caught at first slip by Stephen Fleming.

And it did the West Indian cause no good at all that Ridley Jacob followed a clinking six with a weird miscue which had an attempted slog toward mid-wicket turning instead into a catch by Cairns at deep third man.

Jacobs went at 29, 12 of those runs coming from stunning pull-shots by Adams. But two runs later Lara smacked a drive at Cairns into Daniel Vettoris tummy at short extra cover, and the innings was almost in ruins at 31 for three in the fifth over.

It said much for Adams common-sense batting, plus sober support from Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 26 from 55 balls, that the innings almost returned to an even keel.

They were helped by Adam Parore, the Kiwi keeper, who dropped two chances, and later almost blew a fuse when the television umpire turned down what looked like two good stumping appeals against Franklyn Rose.

But eventually Chanderpaul skied a catch to Vettori in the deep at 88 for four in the 21st over.

There were some blazing strokes from Ricardo Powell, including two enormous sixes onto the small grandstand roof, but there was an inevitability about him being caught in the deep, this time after a steeple-high skier from Vettoris bowling which Cairns fastened on to.

This was part of a tremendous piece of one-day bowling by Vettori. He also bowled Nehemiah Perry, had Mervyn Dillon caught, and bowled Adams, to claim four wickets for 24 from eight overs.

Cairns, injury and all, did a splendid job with two wickets for 25 from nine overs.

Adams, who had batted brilliantly and was the only West Indian batsman who seemed to know how to work for One Day runs, was at least out to a superb ball from Vettori, just turning enough to slip between bat and pad and into the stumps.

Nathan Astle and Craig Spearman went along steadily but quietly when the hosts batted.

Lara tried another trick when he had Adams bowling the sixth over and Perry the seventh.

Astle enjoyed the change of pace by slamming Adams for a six and a four, but Adams won the argument when Astle chipped the next ball for a catch in the deep by Mervyn Dillon.

That was the end of the experiment and, in fact, the end of the New Zealanders taking any risks as they chased after the modest winning target.

Lara will have to produce some new tactics if he is to stop the bleeding xat Napier tomorrow.