New Zealand clinch ODI series by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Event:

West Indies in New Zealand 2008/09

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DateLine: 13th January 2009

 

New Zealand were declared the winners of the match via D/L method when rain once again played the spoilsport in a contest that was getting down to the wire. West Indies on the back of Gayle's whirlwind 135 set up a target of 294 to win in their stipulated 50 overs. New Zealand were off the blocks quickly and were hovering at around nine run an over mark in 10 overs. But then just when West Indies were looking like storming back into the match Taylor once again proved to be the stumbling block and got them ahead 9 runs.

 

Quality batting by Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul has seen West Indies post 293 for 9 in the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand in Napier with the pair putting on 140 for the third wicket before Gayle was caught in the deep off Kyle Mills for 135.

 

Gayle started his innings shakily, playing and missing the bowling of Mills who was swinging the ball well in the early overs. But after these early jitters, the West Indies captain began to play the type of innings he has become renowned for. The wayward bowling was severely punished as he hit nine fours and five sixes during his 129 ball stay at the crease. The only difference from the earlier matches was his more cautious approach. Even though he finished at better than a run a ball, he appeared to take less risks in the knowledge that he needed a big score to give his team a chance of setting an imposing total.

 

Chanderpaul also began cautiously and once he reached 50, he became more aggressive. His 94 runs were made off 91 deliveries and included nine fours and a six. The highlight of his innings was the reverse sweeps he played. In one Daniel Vettori over he hit one ball to the boundary at third man and the next over the fence at deep point. Ironically, it was an attempted reverse sweep that saw his downfall when he lobbed a Jesse Ryder delivery straight to point. A cameo from Kieron Pollard (19 off 8) looked to take the West Indies past 300, but a final over from Mark Gillespie that cost just two runs prevented the visitors from reaching the 300 mark.

 

None of the New Zealand bowlers were spared from the Gayle and Chanderpaul onslaught. After bowling well early, Mills finished with 3 for 57, while Gillespie claimed 4 for 58. Vettori bowled his first eight overs for 18 runs, but the last two cost 27 to give him the figures of 0 for 45.

 

The Kiwi openers began the innings in a fashion more suited to Twenty20 cricket. The run-rate was up around ten an over before Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum were dismissed. Ryder was the first to go in the sixth over with the score at 59. He was caught trying to hit Daren Powell out of the ground. McCullum was the next wicket, falling for 41 with the score at 96 in the tenth over. He looked in ominous form, facing just 28 deliveries and hitting six boundaries and a six. The high run rate took some of the pressure off the following batsmen. Martin Guptill was the third victim after making a classy 43 from 39 deliveries after his unbeaten century in the last match.

 

Taylor and Flynn were getting some momentum into the chase when Powell who till then had a horrible match turned it on the head. Powell when he came onto bowl the 29th over had previously bowled 6 overs for 52 runs and picked up a wicket. On the third ball he got Flynn to pop back a catch to him and then bowled a toe crushing yorker at Broom to win a lbw appeal. West Indies stormed back into the match and were ahead of the D/L method. Taylor realising that they were behind called for the third and the final Powerplay and in the two overs that were available scored 21 runs to edge New Zealand ahead by nine runs in the D/L method and also secure the match and the series.