Cricket: NZ win first test by 27 runs

Shand Bond celebrates bowling Brian Lara for a duck yesterday. Jeff Brass / Getty Images

New Zealand won the first cricket test against the West Indies today by 27 runs.

Resuming from their overnight second innings score of 246 for eight, the West Indies needed 45 runs to win at Eden Park with Ian Bradshaw on eight and Jerome Taylor yet to score.

New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori struck in his third over of the day when Bradshaw's defensive shot took an edge off his pads and flew to New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming fielding in close.

Bradshaw fell for 10 which brought Fidel Edwards to the crease and that triggered off Taylor who cracked two boundaries in the same over. But it eventually proved to be in vain as Shane Bond bowled Taylor for 13 to end the match with five wickets for 69 runs off 28.3 overs as the tourists were rolled for 263.

Play started 30 minutes early to make up for yesterday's first session which was lost to rain. Bond set New Zealand up for victory in yesterday's final session when he took three for 13 in a four-over spell while medium pacer Nathan Astle also played a leading hand when he chipped out the opening pair with Gayle making 82 and Ganga 95.

West Indies will be ruing a lost opportunity to win the match after openers Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga set an ideal foundation with a 148-run partnership. But a West Indies middle-order collapse which saw eight wickets fall for 63 killed any chance of grabbing an unlikely victory and the demise of wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin fell in the yesterday's penultimate over was crucial. New Zealand made 275 and 272 as West Indies scored 257 in their first innings.

The second test starts in Wellington on March 17 with the third in Napier on March 25. The New Zealand team for the second test was to be named later today.

- NZPA