KEY POINTS:
At 1.44pm yesterday, Kyle Mills comprehensively beat West Indian opener Sewnarine Chattergoon with a beauty at Eden Park.
The players reacted with a resounding "ooh". Birds shot out of trees, spectators lowered newspapers, kids turned from their boundary games in surprise, one man raised himself on an elbow from a dozing position.
It was a rare event on one of those days when you know nothing much is going to happen and if the batsmen are smart, they'll fill their boots.
So with the pitch still a peach for batting, the tourists did what Auckland had on most of the first two days, and gave themselves a solid batting workout. Auckland had declared at 587 for seven, and the West Indies, starting the day on 82 without loss, pottered comfortably along to 431 for six before the end.
Fancy crunching some numbers? Over the match, on average a wicket fell every 78.3 runs, or every 21.3 overs. There was no competitive edge to the contest, save the individual component of bat on ball as the game turned into an extended open wicket practice session.
Yesterday, Mills and Daryl Tuffey had their moments; left armer Michael Bates gave the hosts an encouraging start dismissing Xavier Marshall in the seventh over of the morning.
Legspinner Tarun Nethula will have slept well last night after churning out 33 overs, mixing some interesting deliveries with the ordinary; and 12th man Lance Shaw got a couple of late wickets, having replaced new test opener Tim McIntosh yesterday.
But Ramnaresh Sarwan was the star turn. The Guyanese batsman, who averages 40.4 in tests, hit a delightful 158 before retiring.
Memo New Zealand bowlers at the first test this week: bowl short and wide to Sarwan and it'll be death by a hundred cuts.
His cutting was expert, his placement of drives through the offside impeccable and he reached his 26th first-class hundred with a spanking stand-and-deliver drive back down the ground off Tuffey.
His runs came off 198 balls with 23 fours and a six and when he departed he'd added 88 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the International Cricket Council's player of the year's share being 12.
Earlier, lefthand opener Sewnarine Chattergoon tossed away a century, miscuing a lofted drive to mid wicket on 93. He had got a dose of the hooking yips shortly before his dismissal in an innings which mixed edginess with some firm driving but time in the middle was important for him ahead of the test.
Chanderpaul, with his distinctive stance facing wide mid on, was in no hurry, taking 87 balls over 22. But the key to the little lefthander's game is productivity not aesthetics.
The first test starts on Thursday and Sarwan reckoned the three days were useful for the West Indies.
"We didn't bowl as well as we could have, but the boys tried really hard," he said. "I was very thankful it was a pretty good pitch to bat on and tried to make the best use of it. I'm pretty pleased with the way I batted."
And so he should be, having delivered what could be construed as a warning to the New Zealand attack. For Auckland, it's back to the State Championship and Otago arrive at Eden Park on Saturday. The West Indies fly to Dunedin today.
