Cricket: Fleming saves openers' blushes

The Black Caps are in a commanding position in the second test but only served to highlight yet another failure at the top of the order.

New Zealand finished yesterday at 335-7, a 143-run lead over the tourists, and would fancy their chances of wrapping up the three-test series in Wellington in quick time.

It certainly didn't take them long to snare the final two West Indies wickets yesterday morning - 25 minutes - as Kyle Mills wrapped up the innings. But it took only half that time before Hamish Marshall and Jamie How were back in the pavilion with New Zealand in trouble at 3-2.

Although they recovered thanks largely to Stephen Fleming (97) and Peter Fulton (75) to put their side in the ascendancy, concerns remain about the side's inability to get off to a good start.

Yesterday Marshall found a leading edge to chip out to short cover, while How was beaten for pace as his middle and leg stumps cannoned out of the ground.

At that moment the Windies might have sniffed blood but it quickly dried up as Fulton and Fleming put together a stand of 165 in 184 minutes to virtually take the game away from the tourists.

Fleming, in particular, played an entertaining innings that included 15 fours and one six, and he was brutal square of the wicket. But he rode his luck considering he top-edged to fine leg on 47 only to see the ball land between three fielders and was put down at second slip by Runako Morton when on 81.

Fulton, too, was farcically dropped by Fidel Edwards at mid-on when on 23 as the West Indies seemingly invited New Zealand to take control of the match. Chris Gayle might have laughed about it at the time but it would have driven others to tears - it was that dreadful.

"My heart was definitely in my mouth," Fulton recalled. "The captain [Fleming] came down and didn't really say too much but gave me a stern look. It was pretty fortunate and it was good to go on and help put the team in a reasonable position. I was pretty disappointed to get out because I thought there was a big score to be had out there."

The Basin Reserve pitch played well and the Windies attack struggled to find the swing the New Zealand bowlers had produced a day earlier. But lapses once again blighted the innings as the Black Caps continued the theme of the series to date of players getting out to poor shots.

Fleming scooped one to third man, three short of what would have been his ninth test century and, after Fulton departed to the first ball after tea with his maiden test century in sight, Scott Styris and Brendon McCullum played bright and breezy but all-too brief innings as they got out to reckless shots.

Eventually Nathan Astle found able support from Daniel Vettori as the light faded, with the pair putting on 86 runs for the seventh wicket before Vettori fell in the penultimate over when he top-edged an attempted jab to the leg side.

Darren Powell finished with three wickets after a good second spell and Edwards also snared three but the West Indian attack largely lacked penetration and they struggled to build pressure.

"We're obviously on top at the moment," Fulton observed. "If we can go on tomorrow and get at least another 60 to 80 runs in the first session, then that would put us in a pretty strong position."

But who knows what the Black Caps might have achieved in this series had they been able to find a handy opening combination? How long have we been saying that for?

- HERALD ON SUNDAY