Cricket: Red-hot Kiwis sniff famous whitewash

By RICHARD BOOCK

WELLINGTON - It is one of life's little ironies that the most effective batsman in this once-proud West Indian cricket team is a man who weighs his innings in hours, rather than runs.

Opening batsman Adrian Griffith, one of the few players standing between New Zealand and almost certain victory in the second test at the Basin Reserve, has already batted for more than 16 hours in the series - and will need to add several more if the West Indies are to wriggle out of this mess.

Resuming on their overnight score of five for one, the tourists again found the seam bowling of Chris Cairns too hot to handle while folding for 179 in their first innings, and - following on 339 runs behind - struggled through to two without loss at the end of the third day.

Cairns, who took career-best figures of seven for 27 in the first test at Hamilton, broke through again yesterday to take five for 44 and leave New Zealand on the verge of back-to-back wins against the West Indies, not to mention a 2-0 victory in series.

It was the 29-year-old seamer's ninth five-wicket bag and boosted his career tally to 148. At this rate he should overhaul Danny Morrison's mark of 160 before the end of the Australian series - becoming New Zealand's second-highest wicket-taker behind Sir Richard Hadlee.

For a while it seemed the tourists would limit the damage to moderate proportions yesterday, particularly when Griffith (67) and Brian Lara (67) were adding 112 for the fourth wicket, but the loss of the grafting opener - rather than the dashing Lara - hastened the West Indian demise.

Cairns had removed Sherwin Campbell the previous evening, and nightwatchman Nehemiah Perry and Shivnarine Chanderpaul early in the first session yesterday, but ran into more stubborn resistance from the 28-year-old Griffith, who scored his maiden test century in Hamilton last week.

Not one of the prettiest batsmen to watch, Griffith has a square-on, one-eyed, bottom-handed, woodchopper's stance, and appears to have more methods of shouldering arms than he has shots.

However, he stuck around for 467 minutes in the first innings at Hamilton and 157 in the second, and defied the Kiwis for 345 minutes in the first innings of this match before negotiating the last three overs before stumps.

If his example had been adopted by some of his team-mates in Hamilton the tourists might not have arrived in the capital 0-1 down, but as it is New Zealand must fancy their chances of ending the year with a famous 2-0 win.

Cairns sent back Perry in his first over and then removed Chanderpaul in the ninth of the day, the Guyana left-hander gloving his bouncer through to Parore when the total was just 17.

Lara was beaten and bowled out of the rough by Daniel Vettori, who soon after had Jimmy Adams caught in close and then ran out Reon King in extraordinary circumstances, throwing down the fast-bowler's wicket after he attempted a quick single off a no ball With the injured Darren Ganga unable to bat, Cairns mopped up the tail to carry his series wicket tally to 15, and his year's haul to 45.

He stayed in the dressing room when the West Indies followed-on last night after feeling some discomfort in his back, but was confident he would play a part in proceedings today.

"If I'm not 100 per cent maybe my role will be to keep pressure on at one end, and bowl for the other guys," he said. "I'll still be trying to do what I can, but perhaps we'll see Daniel Vettori coming more into play - and me concentrating more on support and containment."

Cairns said his big effort in the first test in Hamilton, where he bowled 53.5 overs to take 10 for 100 in the match, took its toll.

"Hamilton took a lot out of me and then to back up here, sometimes the body's bit sore."