Cricket: NZ target big first innings lead

New Zealand have firm control over the second cricket test against the West Indies entering the third day here tomorrow, holding a first innings lead of 143 runs with three wickets in hand.

In reply to the tourists' first innings of 192, the home side were 335 for seven at stumps, with Nathan Astle not out 65 and James Franklin on two.

Astle's 23rd test half-century was struck from 109 balls with seven boundaries.

Besides Astle, New Zealand's total was built on solid contributions from skipper Stephen Fleming with 97 and Peter Fulton's 75 in his second test.

New Zealand were on target for a big first innings lead at the Basin Reserve as Fleming and Fulton manufactured a 165-run stand for the third wicket after New Zealand's rookie openers, Hamish Marshall and Jamie How, perished with only three runs on the board.

At tea the hosts were cruising at 201 for three, but Daren Powell stalled their progress as three wickets fell for 39 runs.

Powell nabbed Fulton, Scott Styris and Brendon McCullum in quick succession to finish the day with figures of three for 69 while Fidel Edwards chimed in with three for 64.

Fulton raised his maiden half-century with a booming six over long on as he took 104 deliveries to reach the mark.

He showed some great touches off his legs to reach 75 with 10 boundaries and three sixes as the tall right-hander, along with Astle, carried New Zealand to 201 for three at tea.

Fulton's knock ended on the first ball after the break when he pushed at Powell only to send an edge to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

It followed innings his 17 and 28 in the first test in Auckland, won by New Zealand.

The New Zealand selectors and coach John Bracewell also needed Fulton's innings because the gamble on playing all three rookies in the top order has generally failed, with Marshall struggling with the opener's position, while How has had a mixed introduction to test cricket after three innings.

New Zealand's strong position fails to cover over the cracks that still appear as the selectors have constantly diced with different combinations high up the batting order.

One constant in New Zealand's top four batsmen has been Fleming, who was in great touch as he blazed his way to his 41st test half-century off 50 balls.

Fleming's characteristic drives to the fore while he also displayed some silky shotmaking off the back foot through the covers.

He was given two lives, the first on 47 when he skied a shot to fine leg but Powell over-ran the ball, and then on 81 when Runako Morton dived to his right from second slip and spilt the ball.

Fleming rode his luck, and the boundary, and was cruising towards his century before he wafted at Edwards for Dwayne Bravo to take the catch at third man.

His 97 from 132 balls included 15 boundaries and one six and Fleming now boasts a solid strike rate from his last 10 test innings, having passed 50 on five occasions.

Earlier, it took New Zealand just 30 minutes to mop up the West Indies tail as Kyle Mills nabbed the remaining two wickets after the tourists resumed on their overnight score of 182 for eight.

Scoreboard

West Indies
First innings 192

D Ganga c McCullum b Mills 15
C Gayle c McCullum b Franklin 30
R Morton lbw b Franklin 63
B Lara c Fleming b Franklin 1
S Chanderpaul c Fleming b Martin 8
D Bravo lbw b Franklin 9
D Ramdin b Franklin 2
R Lewis c Fleming b Martin 22
I Bradshaw not out 20
D Powell c How b Mills 16
F Edwards c Fleming b Mills 0
Extras (2b, 1lb, 3nb) 6
Total (61.4 overs) 192

Fall: 43 (Gayle), 45 (Ganga), 49 (Lara), 80 (Chanderpaul), 102 (Bravo), 108 (Ramdin), 142 (Lewis), 165 (Morton), 186 (Powell), 192 (Edwards).

Bowling: C Martin 14-1-66-2 (1nb), J Franklin 20-7-53-5 (1nb), K Mills 19.4-7-53-3 (1nb), D Vettori 5-2-13-0, N Astle 3-2-4-0.

New Zealand
First innings

H Marshall c Chanderpaul b Bradshaw 3
J How b Edwards 0
P Fulton c Ramdin b Powell 75
S Fleming c Bravo b Edwards 97
N Astle not out 65
S Styris c Morton b Powell 8
B McCullum c Ramdin b Powell 23
D Vettori c Chanderpaul b Edwards 42
J Franklin not out 2
Extras (4lb, 15nb, 1w) 20
Total (for 7 wkts, 90 overs) 335

Fall: 3 (Marshall), 3 (How), 168 (Fleming), 207 (Fulton), 219 (Styris), 246 (McCullum), 332 (Vettori).

Bowling: F Edwards 14-1-64-3 (6nb), I Bradshaw 19-2-97-1 (3nb), D Powell 17-4-69-3 (1nb, 1w), C Gayle 13-3-37-0, R Lewis 26-8-57-0 (5nb), R Morton 1-0-7-0.

- NZPA