Gayle powers Windies to 10-Wkt win after NZ tail and rain frustrate Windies

Jun 21, 2014 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Trinidad
In association with Digicel, Stag Beer,
John Fernandes Ltd and Cascadia Hotel

An explosive unbeaten 80 from 46 balls by Chris Gayle totally destroyed the New Zealand bowlers’ confidence

and led West Indies to a commanding 10-wicket win on the last day of the second Test yesterday at the Queens Park Oval.
A record 99-run eight wicket stand between 28-year-old Bradley Watling (66*) and 27-year-old Mark Craig (67) from three hours and four minutes, helped set West Indies 93 runs for victory from 61 overs in two sessions when it seemed on Thursday that the contest would have been done and dusted in four days.
Kemar Roach (4-74), Jermaine Taylor (2-73), Shannon Gabriel (2-66) and Suleiman Benn (2-78) toiled long and hard on a slow pitch to eventually dismiss the visitors on the stroke of Lunch yesterday.
Two stoppages due to rain meant West Indies had to wait much longer than expected to notch up their first win since they beat Zimbabwe in Dominica last year. This was also their first win on this ground since they trashed Sri Lanka inside four days six years ago.
In between their victory yesterday and the last of their six consecutive wins in Dominica, the Regional side lost twice to India and thrice to New Zealand, the last in the opening Test of this series.
West Indies have gone six Tests without a win and although the few in the stands, which included a ‘Black Caps support group’ with a huge New Zealand flag, anticipated a much easier win for the home side and maybe an early day to go to the Beach in celebration of the victory on the second consecutive public holiday here, a win is a win.
The Hosts, who galloped to 95-0 in 13.2 overs in the run-chase, now go to Barbados for the deciding Test with the series locked 1-all.
Gayle, the Jamaican powerhouse began the run chase like a house on fire. He hit Tim Southee for a boundary, first ball and clobbered him for two more fours in his next over after he had pounded Trent Boult for four through mid wicket as Southee dug one in short as Gayle ‘charged him’ and it whistled past his helmet and it could be sensed that the pugnacious left-hander was targeting the pacers.
Three consecutive sixes by Gayle off Boult were as stunning as they were brutal and with the destructive Jamaican in T20 mode Ish Sodhi was introduced. Gayle brought up his 50 and West Indies’ half-century in the eight over.
Gayle, who seemed in a hurry to watch Switzerland/France World Cup Football match which commenced at 15:00hrs, reached the second fastest Test 50 by a West Indian behind Shane Shillingford and sixth fastest of all time. His 50 took just 28 balls and he celebrated the landmark with an even bigger six in the same over. Gayle hit 7 fours and 6 sixes.
Man-of-the-Match Braithwaite (14*) was the silent partner as Gayle decimated the hapless bowlers.  A flat six over extra cover off Craig was simply murderous while a crunching cut by Gayle reached the boundary like a bullet and finished the game in empathic fashion.
Earlier, play resumed in gorgeous sunshine with New Zealand on 257-8 and aided by some deplorable catching by the West Indies, the partnership prospered as the handful of West Indies supporters watched in disgust.
The left-handed Craig, in only his second Test and picked for his off-spin bowling, reached his maiden half-century from 121 minutes, 126 balls with seven fours. Craig was dropped off successive balls from Taylor by Gayle at first slip and Benn at Gully before he had reached fifty and Kiwi rode his luck well.

Watling is playing as a specialist batsman, but yesterday Craig looked the senior batsman as Watling, who has three Test tons to his name, continued to struggle to get the ball off the square. But the important thing from a New Zealand perspective, the partnership was gradually building.
Taylor produced a nasty lifting ball that Craig seemed to glove to slip while taking evasive action but was given not out. The review confirmed the Umpire’s decision and the lucky Craig lived to fight another day.
Craig has three First-Class half-centuries to his name and took most of the strike on a track which was still very good for batting but when Watling got the strike he stylishly clipped Taylor off his pads for four before picking up a double to post his eight fifty at this level. His painstaking knock lasted 306 minutes, 162 balls and included four fours.
Watling looked more confident once he passed 50 and along with Craig closed in on the highest stand for this wicket by New Zealand of 136 against India in 1990 made by Ian Smith and Martin Snedden.
The 300 was soon posted and the West Indies batsmen could learn a lot from the application and commitment shown by New Zealanders.  At the first water-break the score was 303-8 and just nine short of a century stand.
With the partnership on 99 (highest against West Indies), Craig clearly edged Roach to the Keeper but Umpire Ian Gould inexplicable asked for the review. Not surprisingly, Television replays vindicated Roach. Craig’s resolute innings spanned 184 minutes, 167 balls and was decorated with nine fours.
Two balls after Craig’s demise, rain sent the players rushing to the pavilion and after a delay of 20 minutes the action resumed and the first session was extended by 30 minutes.
Trent Boult and Watling share the record New Zealand last wicket partnership against the West Indies with 58 last year at Wellington.
Boult rocked his head back like a boxer evading a straight right when Roach pounded one short and the ball almost removed his helmet. He seemed more at ease against Benn.
Gabriel peppered Boult with another bouncer which he fended to second slip where Bravo made no attempt to catch the ball which went for four as the mediocre slip catching by the West Indies continued.  Boult (8) then backed away and swished at a short one from Gabriel and was taken by Ramdin, leaving the subdued Watling stranded on 66 from 387 minutes, 216 balls with four boundaries.
The rare victory was an auspicious start to Ramdin’s Captaincy on home soil, while the young guns (Bravo, Braithwaite, Edwards and Blackwood) all fired. Gayle’s explosion towards the end must have also psychologically affected the Kiwis bowlers.
However, it was a far from a clinical win. The defensive strategy of Ramdin and the sloppy catching must be a cause for concern.

Scoreboard

New Zealand in West Indies Test Series – 2nd Test

Played at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

16, 17, 18, 19, 20 June 2014

 

New Zealand first innings 221

West Indies first innings 460

New Zealand 2nd innings    

TWM Latham             c Brathwaite b Benn        36

BB McCullum* lbw b Taylor                    3

KS Williamson c †Ramdin b Roach        52

LRPL Taylor   c †Ramdin b Gabriel        36

JDS Neesham c & b Benn                         7

BJ Watling†  not out                              66

HD Rutherford lbw b Taylor                  13

IS Sodhi  c †Ramdin b Roach                14

TG Southee  c Edwards b Roach            15

MD Craig  c †Ramdin b Roach             67

TA Boult  c †Ramdin b Gabriel               8

Extras (b 9, lb 2, w 1, nb 2)                     14

Total (all out; 152.2 overs; 654 mins) 331   

 

Fall of wickets 1-9 (McCullum, 6.4 ov), 2-84 (Latham, 49.3 ov),

3-108 (Williamson, 60.5 ov), 4-121 (Neesham, 65.6 ov),

5-153 (Taylor, 78.4 ov), 6-176 (Rutherford, 88.3 ov),

7-193 (Sodhi, 95.5 ov), 8-212 (Southee, 99.3 ov),

9-311 (Craig, 142.4 ov), 10-331 (Boult, 152.2 ov)

 

Bowling          O         M        R         W        Econ  

JE Taylor         30        8          73        2          2.43     (1nb)

KAJ Roach     28        6          74        4          2.64     (1w)

ST Gabriel       23.2     3          66        2          2.82     (1nb)

SJ Benn           58        20        78        2          1.34

CH Gayle        13        3          29        0          2.23

 

West Indies 2nd innings (target: 93 runs)  

CH Gayle  not out                                  80

KC Brathwaite   not out                          14

Extras (lb 1)                                                 1

Total   (0 wickets; 13.2 overs; 52 mins) 95  

 

Did not bat KA Edwards, DM Bravo, S Chanderpaul,

J Blackwood, D Ramdin*†, KAJ Roach, JE Taylor,

SJ Benn, ST Gabriel

 

Bowling          O         M        R         W        Econ

TG Southee     4          1          21        0          5.25

TA Boult         3          0          27        0          9.00

IS Sodhi          2          0          21        0          10.50

MD Craig        3          0          17        0          5.66

KS Williamson 1.2      0          8          0          6.00

 

Match details

Result – West Indies won by 10 wickets

Toss – New Zealand, who chose to bat

Series – 3-match series level 1-1

Test debut – J Blackwood (West Indies)

Player of the match – KC Brathwaite (West Indies)

Umpires – IJ Gould (England) and RJ Tucker (Australia)

TV umpire – RK Illingworth (England)

Match referee – BC Broad (England)

Reserve umpire – PJ Nero

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