Cricket: Windies' fireworks fizzle in the drizzle

By RICHARD BOOCK

New Zealand's ability to produce a winning performance this summer has been matched only by the West Indies' knack of snatching defeat out of thin air.

It happened again yesterday - to an extent - when the tourists managed to post an impressive 263 in the opening one-day international at Eden Park, only to lose by three wickets after being thwarted by a combination of rain, a record-breaking New Zealand partnership, and a costly mistake in the field.

Chasing a revised total of 250 in 46 overs, New Zealand won with just five balls to spare after Nathan Astle (77) and Chris Cairns (75) added 136 for the fourth wicket, a record for any partnership against the West Indies.

While it was New Zealand's first one-day win over the West Indies since the 1995-96 tour of the Caribbean and continued the impressive record they forged through 1999, it was another heavy blow for the tourists.

They have yet to win any type of game in this visit, including the Max hit-out, first-class matches against New Zealand A and Auckland, and the two tests.

New Zealand looked in some bother early on in the chase when they lost Craig Spearman, Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan in the first dozen overs, and it seemed then that the West Indies were finally going to have their day in the sun.

However, not only did Cairns and Astle have other ideas, but so did the weather-gods, the match being interrupted for 20 minutes when New Zealand were 153 for three.

It was subsequently shortened by four overs.

Cairns, who bowled only five overs when the West Indies batted because of a troublesome back strain, smashed six sixes and a couple of fours as he went about repairing the innings with his Canterbury team-mate. The pair dragged the score from 62 for three through to 198 before the tourists could strike back.

Franklyn Rose then created an opening for the West Indies by sending back Cairns and Astle in consecutive balls, and it was only Chris Harris' ability in the final stanzas - not to mention a crucial dropped catch by Merv Dillon - that ensured New Zealand would start the New Year with a win.

Astle brought up his 50 off 57 balls, including five fours and a six, and when he eventually departed had moved into third position on the all-time New Zealand one-day run-scoring charts with 3158 runs, trailing just Martin Crowe (4704) and John Wright (3891).

Opting to play a line-up which seemed thin on batsmen and long on bowlers, the West Indies' placed a heavy responsibility on their top order to perform, and received an appropriate response from Ridley Jacobs, Sherwin Campbell and Brian Lara (all of whom exceeded 50) and Ricardo Powell.

Back into his one-day opening role, Jacobs attacked the new ball with a free licence, striking two sixes and five fours as he brought up his 50 off 46 balls.

Campbell proved an ideal foil as the West Indies clattered along at more than five an over, and when he eventually lost his wicket to New Zealand's best bowler - Daniel Vettori - Lara was well set to bat deep into the innings.

There was a lull for a time as Shivnarine Chanderpaul scratched around for 41 balls while scoring 11, but the momentum was recovered when Lara - who top-scored with 76 - appeared to run out his becalmed team-mate in the 36th over.

The dismissal brought Powell to the crease and a new urgency into the batting, the 21-year-old combining with Lara to add 91 in 64 balls and boost the West Indian score to 249 with four overs still remaining.