Black Caps take tri-series cricket title

Stephen Fleming, Lou Vincent and James Marshall pose with the trophy after the win over India last night. Picture / Reuters

HARARE - The Black Caps completed their triumphant tour of Zimbabwe with a resounding six-wicket thumping of India in the triangular series final here overnight (NZ time).

That followed a test series against the hosts in which New Zealand won both matches by an innings, and in two and three days respectively.

"It was a perfect script," said captain Stephen Fleming.

"Everything happened the way we wanted, we wanted to bowl first and then chase a score on a pitch that seems to get better as the day goes on."

First New Zealand shut the door on what seemed to be a juggernaut of an Indian innings by restricting them to 276. Then they knocked off the target with no fuss or bother to win by six wickets with 11 balls to spare.

Nathan Astle led the way with an understated but invaluable 115 not out off 131 balls with 13 fours and a six.

"We knew if we restricted them we would have a good day," Fleming said.

Opener Virender Sehwag was in vicious form, and his efforts saw India reach 155 for one in the 25th over.

Daniel Vettori pulled it back by having Sehwag caught at extra cover for 74, and two balls later he trapped Rahul Dravid in front for nought with a spearing armball.

India lost their way from there, and their last nine wickets crashed for 121 runs.

"The side is experienced enough now to know that if you hang in long enough you can restrict the opposition, and that every run and every wicket is going to count," Fleming said. "When you're staring down the barrel of a 300-plus score that can be hard to do, but to restrict it to 276 was the winning of the game."

New Zealand's reply was given a textbook start by Fleming and Astle, who shared 121 runs off 110 balls before Fleming was dismissed for 61.

"We knew that if we got off to a good start it would put pressure on their slow bowlers, and take the pressure off us to try something against those bowlers," Fleming said.

Astle batted with maturity and common sense, and ensured that New Zealand never wavered from the winning path.

"Stephen and I just wanted to go out there and play good cricket shots," Astle said. "We didn't really take any big risks, we just kept hitting boundaries and gave ourselves the start we needed to get through."

For once Shane Bond wasn't the key bowler in the match. He beat the bat regularly in his opening burst, but had little luck and finished with one for 44.

Bond was, deservedly, named man-of-the-series.

"I was just hoping to get through the tour in one piece, and I'm delighted to have played the way I have," Bond said.

"It's been a tour of memories for me, and everything's just gone as well as I could have hoped.

"You sit in the hotel at night and visualise what you're going to do the next day and it's actually turned out better than that, so I'm stoked."

Bond twisted his knee and left the field three balls before the end of his 10-over stint, but Fleming said the injury was minor.

"He'll probably have recovered by the time he gets back to New Zealand," Fleming said as he contemplated the marathon journey home.

SCOREBOARD

India
V Sehwag c Vincent b Vettori 75
S Ganguly c Marshall b Oram 31
M Kaif not out 93
R Dravid lbw b Vettori 0
Y Singh c Bond b Mills 20
V Rao c McMillan b Oram 8
M Dhoni lbw b Styris 11
J Yadav c McCullum b Oram 0
A Agarkar c Mills b Bond 6
I Pathan c Vincent b Oram 10
A Nehra c Oram b Mills 0
Extras (5lb, 4nb, 13w) 22
Total (49.3 overs) 276
Fall: 72, 155, 155, 185, 203, 230, 231, 255, 272, 276.
Bowling: S Bond 9.3-0-44-1 (1nb, 3w), K Mills 9.3-3-45-2, J Oram 8.3-0-58-4 (3nb, 1w), S Styris 8-0-56-1 (2w), D Vettori 10-0-35-2 (1w), N Astle 4-0-33-0 (1w).

New Zealand
S Fleming c and b Sehwag 61
N Astle not out 115
H Marshall lbw b Sehwag 3
S Styris st Dhoni b Sehwag 37
C McMillan c Dhoni b Y Singh 13
L Vincent not out 33
Extras (9lb, 1nb, 6w) 16
Total (for 4 wkts, 48.1 overs) 278
Fall: 121, 125, 183, 206.
Bowling: I Pathan 5-1-40-0 (1w), A Nehra 6-0-40-0 (1w), A Agarkar 6.1-0-43-0 (1nb, 1w), H Singh 10-0-49-0, V Sehwag 10-0-44-3 (2w), J Yadav 1-0-14-0, Y Singh 10-1-39-1.

Result: New Zealand won by six wickets.

- NZPA