Cricket: Black Caps secure vital win over West Indies

By RICHARD BOOCK

PORT ELIZABETH - New Zealand breathed life back into their controversial World Cup campaign this morning when they snatched a crucial 20-run win over the West Indies at St George's Park – a result that keeps alive their hopes of qualifying for the second round.

Needing to beat the Windies this morning and then knock over hosts South Africa on Sunday, the New Zealanders made it halfway towards their target and are now looking forward to their must-win showdown in Johannesburg.

Apart from a time when Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ridley Jacobs briefly raised hopes of a West Indian comeback, New Zealand were mostly in the dominant position throughout, after being inserted and making 241 for seven in their allotted overs.

It was a desperate, workmanlike win from the New Zealanders, best demonstrated by a superb bowling and fielding performance featuring a number of brilliant dismissals, including a Chris Cairns' direct hit to run-out-of-danger man Brian Lara, and another acrobatic catch from Jacob Oram, who sprinted in from third-man and dived forward to snare Jacobs.

Cairns, after receiving a relay throw from Lou Vincent, threw down Lara's stumps at the bowler's end as he attempted a third run, and it wasn't long until the West Indians were in genuine strife, slumping to 80 for six in the 21st over.

Sarwan's 75 from 99 balls was the sort of commonsense approach the West Indians required, but although he and Jacobs were able to post a World Cup seventh-wicket record of 98, the lack of wickets in hand was to cost them dearly.

It was one of New Zealand's best bowling performances of the summer, considering they were no longer playing on a homespun green seamer, but on a flat and slightly slow pitch at St George's Park, which has a reputation for favouring the batsmen.

As well as Shane Bond, Oram and Daniel Vettori bowled, it was Andre Adams who had the biggest influence, taking four for 44 in a man-of-the-match performance, which included an involvement in two run-outs, and a crucial cameo with the bat during the first innings.

The man who took a five-wicket bag against India earlier in the summer smashed an unbeaten 35 off 24 balls while joining Brendon McCullum in a New Zealand World Cup record of 53 for the eighth wicket, a partnership that enabled the side to post a defendable total.

McCullum, who later turned in a classy performance behind the stumps, finished on 36 not out.

It was New Zealand's first ODI win in 14 attempts on South African soil and the first against the West Indies in 13 attempts at neutral venues.

NZ V WEST INDIES SCOREBOARD:

New Zealand:


S Fleming c and b Dillon 25


D Vettori b Drakes 13


N Astle c Jacobs b Hinds 46


S Styris c Powell b Drakes 5


C Cairns c Dillon b Hinds 37


L Vincent c Hooper b Hinds 9


C Harris b Gayle 19


B McCullum not out 36


A Adams not out 35


Extras (10lb, 2nb, 4w) 16


Total (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) 241


Fall: 42 (Fleming), 58 (Vettori), 66 (Styris), 130 (Astle), 141 (Cairns), 147 (Vincent), 188 (Harris).


Bowling: M Dillon 10 overs 1 maiden 30 runs 1 wicket (1w), N McLean 6-0-38-1 (1w), V Drakes 10-1-49-2 (2nb), W Hinds 10-0-35-3, C Hooper 9-0-42-0, C Gayle 5-0-37-1 (2w).


West Indies:


C Gayle c Fleming b Adams 22


W Hinds c Styris b Adams 14


B Lara run out 2
S Chanderpaul lbw b Oram 2


C Hooper c Bond b Adams 3


R Sarwan b Vettori 75


R Powell b Oram 14


R Jacobs c Oram b Styris 50


V Drakes not out 16


N McLean run out 5


M Dillon b Adams 8


Extras (1b, 3lb, 1nb, 5w) 10


Total (49.4 overs) 221


Fall: 34 (Gayle), 36 (Lara), 42 (Hinds), 46 (Hooper), 46 (Chanderpaul), 80 (Powell), 178 (Sarwan), 191 (Jacobs), 200 (McLean), 221 (Dillon).


Bowling: S Bond 10-2-43-0 (2w), A Adams 9.4-1-44-4 (1w), J Oram 10-2-26-2, C Cairns 1-0-21-0 (1nb, 1w), D Vettori 10-0-38-1, N Astle 4-0-14-0, S Styris 5-0-31-1 (1w).


Result: New Zealand won by 20 runs.


Man of the match: Andre Adams.


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