Cricket: Barely a puff from Windies

Sachin Tendulkar. Photo / Getty Images

With less than half the West Indian side actually West Indian, you wonder at the value of their three-day game against a New Zealand XI at Lincoln, near Christchurch, which ended early in a draw yesterday.

The late addition of a trip to India to ensure Sachin Tendulkar got to play his 200th and final test in front of his Mumbai faithful - and not in South Africa, as the international schedule had it - messed around the West Indies' preparations for the three-test series in New Zealand.

So the bulk of the tour group are still making their way to Dunedin from the three-game ODI series, which they lost 2-1. Getting their heads around Dunedin in December, after November in Kolkata, Visakhapatnam and Kanpur, will be a challenge in itself.

What did those West Indians who were at Lincoln get out of the contest? Veteran Shiv Chanderpaul eased his way to 89 in the first innings; opening bowling candidates Sheldon Cottrell and Shannon Gabriel huffed and puffed and got dinged along the way, particularly by test opener Hamish Rutherford; and, well, that's about it.

Rutherford, with two fifties, opening partner Peter Fulton with more than two hours in the middle for his 53 yesterday, got some valuable time at the crease.

But New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, and senior test batsman Ross Taylor - who had a 10 and 0 double for Central Districts in Hamilton this week - will go into the first test desperately skinny on runs.

McCullum made 22 and 10 against the "West Indies", facing a total of 54 balls. The Windies had a target of 166 to win, and the game ended at 121 for two, back-up wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton unbeaten on 61. It all turned out rather underwhelming, hopefully not a taste of things to come.