West Indies v New Zealand - Fourth Test

Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana

West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.
New Zealand: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, AR MacGibbon, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: AR Crafter (AUS) & DL Orchard (SAF)
Toss: West Indies

With the exception of the first Test in Jamaica, this series has been played on a succession of less than satisfactory wickets, and the quality, or lack of, of the pitch produced at the Bourda prompted Garry Sobers to insert the New Zealanders upon winning the toss. The trend in this series has been for a poor performance by the side batting first, and with the pitch offering up some very low bounce the tourists were bowled out before tea for 148 in just 43 overs, with Malcolm Marshall again the main destroyer. Turner (46) and Jones (28) had got the innings off to a good start after the recalled Sutcliffe's early departure, but from a relatively healthy position of 83-2, the Kiwis' innings folded once again, with only Reid's attacking 34 providing West Indies with any inconvenience.

However, by stumps West Indies had collapsed to 127-7 as 17 wickets fell on a remarkable first day. No-one was able to better Greenidge's 30 as Hadlee and Cowie once again spearheaded the New Zealand seam quartet, and it took a last wicket stand of 26 between Dujon (28) and Walsh (19* off 22 balls) on the second morning to nudge the hosts into a 19 run first innings lead. Turner and Sutcliffe wiped out the deficit by lunch, but a disastrous afternoon session saw the Kiwis slide from 39-0 to 103-7 as the wickets continued to tumble. Jones (13) and Crowe (22) were again victims of marginal umpiring calls, Tony Crafter the executioner-in-chief on this occasion, but Reid took the fight to the West Indians just as he had done in the first innings, and with MacGibbon able to bed in at the other end, 61 vital runs were added for the eighth wicket as New Zealand fought back. MacGibbon's share was just 9, but his stoicism allowed Reid to reach a well deserved fifty, and a further 29 runs were added with Boock (4) for the tenth wicket before New Zealand were finally bowled out for 197 early on the third morning, Reid finishing undefeated on 78.

With the game not even at its halfway point, West Indies now had a target of 179 for a 4-0 lead, but within seven overs they had slipped to 21-3 as Hadlee and Cowie again made full use of the new ball. Richards (2) played on to just his fourth ball from Hadlee to continue his wretched run, but Haynes again held firm with yet another fifty and West Indies looked on course for victory as the target dropped below 100. However, Hadlee returned after lunch to remove both Haynes (61) and Lloyd (26) in quick succession, and before the crowd had chance to draw breath Sobers was brilliantly run out for 4 by a direct hit from Crowe to reduce West Indies to 102-6, still 77 short of victory.

Rain now intervened to send the players in for an early tea, and when the evening session began all West Indies' hopes were pinned on the seemingly perennial Dujon to organize the tail and deny New Zealand once again. Malcolm Marshall proved a capable ally, and he contributed 17 to a 35 run partnership before Cowie got one through his defences to make the score 137-7, and Marshall trudged off with West Indies still 42 runs short with just three wickets left. Both Hadlee and Cowie were virtually out on their feet by this stage though, and Dujon and Holding were able to edge the score nearer and nearer to the target with a mixture of solid defence from Dujon and streaky hitting from Holding. As the runs required moved into single digits the game seemed over, but with six needed to win Holding (16) edged Reid to Donnelly at second slip and West Indies were eight down for 173.

Gibbs came to the wicket, took a single to keep the strike, and in the next over, bowled by MacGibbon, he nicked one through to Parore and suddenly West Indies were 175-9, still four runs away from victory, with last man Courtney Walsh striding to the wicket. It was pandemonium all around the Bourda at this stage, but the calmest man in the ground appeared to be Jeffrey Dujon, and after a lengthy conference with Walsh play restarted. Walsh survived the remainder of MacGibbon's over, but Reid forced Dujon to play out a maiden at the other end, giving MacGibbon another crack at the number eleven.

Determination was etched all over Walsh's face though, and a nudge off his pads for two pushed West Indies to within two runs of victory. Walsh held firm, and from the fourth ball of Reid's next over Dujon drove the ball through the covers to see West Indies home by the margin of one wicket, just the fourth such occurrence in ATG history. Dujon had batted two and a half hours for 39, an exceptional achievement in the circumstances, and the New Zealanders looked out for the count as thousands of ecstatic fans swarmed onto the ground. The series scoreline now read 4-0 to West Indies, but it could so easily have been 2-2, and the possibility of what would be an undeserved 5-0 whitewash now looms large after a remarkable three days in Georgetown.

Scores
NZL 1st Inns 148 (Turner 46; Marshall 4-41)
WI 1st Inns 167
NZL 2nd Inns 197 (Reid 78*)
WI 2nd Inns 179-9 (Haynes 61; Hadlee 4-72)

WEST INDIES WON BY 1 WICKET


Man of the Match: PJL Dujon

West Indies v New Zealand - Third Test

Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, CEL Ambrose, CA Walsh.
New Zealand: GM Turner, BA Edgar, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, RO Collinge, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: AR Crafter (AUS) & DL Orchard (SAF)
Toss: West Indies

The only way was up for New Zealand after their shocking display in Trinidad, and after three rain affected days at the Kensington Oval the tourists found themselves in a surprisingly dominant position, thanks in the main to three outstanding individual performances. Batting first on a pitch not expected to last the full five days, West Indies slumped to 201 all out, with Greenidge and Richards both departing for ducks and only a 94 run third wicket partnership between the consistent Haynes (64) and Lloyd (57) providing any sustained resistance. Hadlee and the recalled Cowie revelled in the damp conditions, sharing eight wickets between them, and when the tourists came to bat it was Andrew Jones who led the way with a splendid maiden ATG century.

Jones batted with great freedom, and at 191-2 New Zealand looked set for a sizeable first innings advantage. Jones finally fell for 121, fending a wicked Ambrose bouncer into the hands of Haynes at short leg, and from then on the Blackcaps sadly lost their way, eventually being dismissed for 282 as Marshall cleaned up the tail with the new ball. Jones' dominant display had still managed to give the tourists an 81 run lead though, and at its halfway point the game was following a remarkably similar pattern to the first Test. However, whereas West Indies went on to rattle up a second innings total in excess of 500 in that game, they staggered to 122-4 by the end of the third day here, having been 18-3 at one stage as Hadlee and Cowie again took centre stage. Richards completed an ignominious pair as he pulled his first ball from Cowie straight to Reid at midwicket, and it took a partnership of 102 between Lloyd and Kanhai to pull the hosts up by their bootstraps.

Kanhai fell for 44, but Lloyd went on to complete a glorious century on the fourth morning to drag West Indies back into contention. However, Lloyd played on to Reid the ball after reaching three figures and at 162-6 the lead was only 81, with another wicket set to expose the tail. Sobers and Dujon were the last pair of recognized batsmen, and with New Zealand seemingly on the verge of success, they set about forging a partnership to break Kiwi hearts. Both players made decidedly unsteady starts, Dujon especially, but gradually the strokes started to come more naturally and the scoreboard began ticking over at an ever increasing rate.

The pitch was by no means the easiest to bat on by now, but with Hadlee and Cowie clearly tiring New Zealand were badly let down by their supporting cast of bowlers, and the seventh wicket partnership progressed into the afternoon and swelled past the hundred mark. Sobers finally went for 63, bowled by a slower ball from Cowie having put on 114 with Dujon, who then proceeded to add a further 53 with Marshall (18) for the eighth wicket as the game ran away from the New Zealanders. Dujon was eventually out for a stroke-laden 86, but Ambrose and Walsh were able to rub a final pinch of salt into the wound with a last wicket stand of 31 before West Indies were finally bowled out late on the fourth evening for 360.

Despite everything that had transpired, New Zealand's target of 280 was certainly in the realm of the achievable, although a badly wearing pitch would surely make batting on the final day a most hazardous occupation. Edgar didn't even make it to the last day as he departed for a duck in just the second over, and with Jones and Crowe both out cheaply to poor lbw decisions from umpire Orchard on the fifth morning, New Zealand's challenge was wavering at 70-3. Turner looked in confident mood though, and in partnership with Donnelly he was able to construct a partnership that would take the tourists to the very brink of victory.

For once the West Indian pace attack misfired badly, and in the face of some very poor bowling Turner and Donnelly put on 143 wonderful runs for the third wicket, with Turner recording the sixth, and arguably most valuable, hundred of his career. With the tea break looming the scoreboard read 213-3, but with New Zealand just 67 runs away from the winning post, Sobers removed Donnelly for 60 and Reid for a golden duck with consecutive deliveries either side of the interval, and suddenly it was 'game on' again. Turner and Parore rallied though, and a partnership of 31 took the Blackcaps to within touching distance of glory at 244-5 before calamity struck. After six hours at the crease Turner, on 135, top-edged a cut off Marshall to Holding at third man, and an assured catch not only ended a fine innings but sparked a dramatic collapse that would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for New Zealand.

Panic now seemed to paralyze the tourists, and the last five wickets fell for just six runs in twenty two balls as a rampant Marshall and Walsh saved the day for West Indies. Last hope Parore played a dreadful stroke to be caught in the covers for 23, and when Marshall trapped Collinge lbw to complete his five wicket haul, West Indies had triumphed by the slender margin of 29 runs and had clinched the series with two Tests still to play. Once again New Zealand had thrown away a glorious chance of victory, and the lack of self-belief that seems to permeate through the team was all too evident during those last, fateful overs. For the Kiwis, the only way remains up.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 201 (Haynes 64, Lloyd 57; Cowie 4-48, Hadlee 4-76)
NZL 1st Inns 282 (Jones 121; Marshall 4-53)
WI 2nd Inns 360 (Lloyd 102, Dujon 86, Sobers 63, Kanhai 44)
NZL 2nd Inns 250 (Turner 135, Donnelly 60; Marshall 5-72)

WEST INDIES WON BY 29 RUNS


Man of the Match: CH Lloyd

West Indies v New Zealand - Second Test

Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

West Indies: JB Stollmeyer, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, CEL Ambrose, CA Walsh.
New Zealand: GM Turner, BA Edgar, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, RJ Hadlee, +KJ Wadsworth, AR MacGibbon, RO Collinge, SL Boock.

Debuts: JB Stollmeyer (WI)
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & DR Shepherd (ENG)
Toss: New Zealand

After slipping to a comprehensive defeat in the first Test, New Zealand somewhat surprisingly fielded the same XI in Trinidad, whereas West Indies made two changes: Curtly Ambrose made his first appearance of the season at the expense of Alf Valentine, whilst a back injury to Conrad Hunte - who himself had been an injury replacement for Gordon Greenidge - allowed Jeff Stollmeyer to make a home town debut.

Stollmeyer would not have looked forward to batting on what was frankly a very poor strip though, and it came as something of a surprise when John Reid elected to bat upon winning the toss. Reid didn't fancy batting last on such a surface, but batting first proved to be no picnic either, and by tea Reid must have been deeply regretting his decision after West Indies' four-pronged pace attack had skittled the tourists for just 121. No-one made it out of the twenties for the Blackcaps - Donnelly top-scored with 26 - and a series of poor decisions by umpire Ramaswamy did not help the tourists' cause.

New Zealand now clung to the hope that Richard Hadlee could lead a revival with the ball, and when Stollmeyer edged behind for just 7 those hopes remained intact. Kanhai blitzed a quick fifty though, and with Haynes dropping anchor to great effect, West Indies took complete control. The scoreboard read 161-2 by the end of the first day, already a lead of 40, and by stumps on day two the lead had been stretched to over 300 as New Zealand's attack was simply outclassed.

Haynes converted his overnight 60 into his ninth ATG hundred, and there were also fifties from Richards, Lloyd and Dujon as the total passed 400. Boock was the only bowler to exert any control for New Zealand, and although Hadlee eventually finished with four wickets he still looked far from his best. West Indies were bowled out for 442 late on the second evening, and with a deficit of 321, New Zealand were faced with a veritable mountain for the second match in succession. Sizeable cracks were now appearing in the wicket, and after the openers had been softened up and then removed fending short pitched deliveries from Ambrose and Holding, it was the lesser pace of Sobers that ran through the middle order as New Zealand collapsed once again.

Andrew Jones was the only man to keep his head above water, and he managed to hold on for over four hours before edging a snorter from Ambrose to be ninth out for a commendable 79. Collinge became the only other batsman to reach 20 as he and Boock batted gamely for a further 40 minutes in adding 27 for the last wicket, but when Collinge holed out to Ambrose in the outfield, Sobers had his fifth wicket and West Indies had completed the most comprehensive of innings victories in less than three days play. Jones' innings apart, and even allowing for the state of the pitch, New Zealand's performance in this match had been nothing short of woeful, and with three Tests still to play it looks like being a very long tour for the beleaguered Blackcaps.

Scores
NZL 1st Inns 121 (Holding 4-42)
WI 1st Inns 442 (Haynes 108, Richards 76, Kanhai 64, Lloyd 62, Dujon 51; Hadlee 4-97)
NZL 2nd Inns 184 (Jones 79; Sobers 5-34)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 137 RUNS


Man of the Match: DL Haynes

West Indies v New Zealand - First Test

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

West Indies: CC Hunte, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, CA Walsh, AL Valentine.
New Zealand: GM Turner, BA Edgar, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, RJ Hadlee, +KJ Wadsworth, AR MacGibbon, RO Collinge, SL Boock.

Debuts: AH Jones & AR MacGibbon (NZL)
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & DR Shepherd (ENG)
Toss: West Indies

New Zealand had little to lose going into their first ever Test in the Caribbean, and when Garry Sobers won the toss and elected to bat on what promised to be a batsman's track, the tourists seemed set for some serious leather chasing under a cloudless Jamaican sky. There was just the hint of moisture in the pitch though, and when the debutant MacGibbon bowled Haynes for 18 with the fifth ball of his first over, West Indies had been reduced to 37-3 and New Zealand were suddenly in the game. Richards and Lloyd counter-attacked with typical gusto, but Lloyd gave MacGibbon his second wicket when he drove to Reid in the covers, and then the lower half of the innings crumbled in dramatic fashion as Stephen Boock ran riot. Boock tends to take his wickets in clutches, and a succession of poorly judged strokes gifted the left-armer the third best analysis in New Zealand's ATG history, behind his own eight and seven wicket hauls gathered against England.

West Indies' complacent approach had seen them bowled out for 201 inside a day, but at 135-5 on the second morning New Zealand looked like throwing away their advantage. Donnelly and Hadlee rallied the innings in attacking fashion though, and with support from MacGibbon (31), Hadlee was able to push the score on towards 300 before Walsh cleaned up the tail with the new ball after tea on day two. Hadlee remained unbeaten on 80 out of New Zealand's 286, and although this was probably a below par score on what was by now a blameless pitch, it still gave the Blackcaps a very handy lead of 85 on first innings.

However, just as has happened so often in the past, a promising position proceeded to slip through Kiwi fingers over the course of the next two days as the true nature of the pitch was finally revealed by the West Indian batsmen. Hunte and Haynes kicked things off with an opening stand of 88 on the second evening, and the third day belonged to Rohan Kanhai as the game cantered away from New Zealand. Had Wadsworth held onto a difficult chance in front of first slip when Kanhai had scored just 3 then things could have been very different, but Kanhai survived and proceeded to punish the tourists to the fullest extent as the runs piled up.

Kanhai took part in five consecutive fifty-plus stands, and passed 1000 career runs as he stroked his way to a fine double century. His final score of 225 was West Indies' joint fifth highest innings in their history, and matched Viv Richards' effort on the same ground against Australia during the dramatic 6 run win back in Season II. Sobers eventually declared on the fourth afternoon with the scoreboard reading 518-6, and New Zealand now had the task of chasing a record 434 for victory or batting out four and a half sessions for the draw. It soon became clear that escaping with the draw was going to be the one and only target for the tourists, and scores in the forties from Edgar, Jones and Crowe gave the innings a solid enough start. No-one was able to push on though, and with Marshall and Walsh at their probing best, wickets fell regularly as the Kiwi resistance was gradually whittled away.

A couple of stoppages for rain on the final day briefly threatened to come to the Blackcaps' rescue, but with a possible 23 overs remaining Walsh induced an edge from last man Boock and it was all over, New Zealand's final total of 271 giving West Indies a comfortable 162 run victory. Hadlee was again left unbeaten, this time on 38, but Marshall and Walsh had been able to extract lift and movement from a pitch that wore rapidly on the final day, and after holding the early advantage, New Zealand had been soundly beaten by a West Indies team that really clicked into gear in the second half of the game.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 201 (Richards 82, Lloyd 46; Boock 6-28)
NZL 1st Inns 286 (Hadlee 80*, Donnelly 68, Edgar 42; Walsh 4-45)
WI 2nd Inns 518-6 dec. (Kanhai 225, Haynes 68, Hunte 51, Dujon 50*, Sobers 45)
NZL 2nd Inns 271 (Edgar 45, Jones 42, Crowe 40; Marshall 5-63, Walsh 4-51)

WEST INDIES WON BY 162 RUNS


Man of the Match: RB Kanhai

West Indies v New Zealand - Tour Match

President's XI v New Zealanders
Beausejour Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St Lucia
4 Day Game
Umpires: DM Archer & CE Cumberbatch
Toss: President's XI

PXI: AF Rae, *JB Stollmeyer, RB Richardson, AI Kallicharran, CL Hooper, AL Logie, BD Julien, +JL Hendricks, CC Griffith, IR Bishop, WW Daniel.
NZ: GM Turner, BA Edgar, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, RJ Hadlee, +KJ Wadsworth, AR MacGibbon, RO Collinge, SL Boock.

Rain badly affected New Zealand's warm-up match in St Lucia, but the tourists will still be taking a number of positives into the first Test after their performance at the BCG. The President's XI batted first on what was a very flat pitch, and their innings was totally dominated by skipper Jeff Stollmeyer, who amassed an unbeaten 203 out of a total of 360-7 before he declared shortly before the end of the second day's play. It was a near faultless innings, and as well as the Kiwi bowlers toiled, Stollmeyer was simply immovable. The next highest score was 34 from Julien at number seven, and rarely will one witness such a dominant display.

The New Zealanders responded well though, Turner and Edgar adding 99 for the first wicket before Jones joined Turner in a 158 run partnership for the second. Jones could have been caught behind off his very first ball, but the edge evaded Hendricks and Jones took full advantage, progressing to an excellent century that will surely fill him with confidence ahead of his likely Test debut in Jamaica. Turner also reached three figures, and New Zealand's batting held up well against the pace of Griffith, Daniel and Bishop.

Reid declared on the final afternoon with his team still 26 runs in arrears, but when the President's XI stumbled to 51-6 the tourists suddenly seemed in with a chance of an unlikely victory. Logie and Hendricks held firm though, and put together an undefeated partnership of 62 for the seventh wicket before time was finally called and the draw secure. MacGibbon may well have bowled his way into the Test side with a match return of 5-74 off 36 overs, and the Black Caps will be as optimistic as ever ahead of the first Test, although how long that optimism will last is most certainly up for debate.

Scores
PXI 1st Inns 360-7 dec. (Stollmeyer 203*)
NZ 1st Inns 334-5 dec. (Jones 110, Turner 104, Edgar 48)
PXI 2nd Inns 113-6 (Logie 45*)

MATCH DRAWN

West Indies v New Zealand - Series Preview

With scarcely a chance to draw breath following their tour of India, West Indies welcome New Zealand to the Caribbean for the first time knowing that a 5-0 whitewash would send them to the top of the ATG rankings. Garry Sobers' side really are the form team at the moment, having won their last four series, and one wouldn't bet against them putting the Kiwis to the sword over the course of the five Tests. Viv Richards' return to something approaching his best in the latter part of the Indian tour gives the batting line-up a solid feel, and the form of spinners Gibbs and Valentine provides the selectors with a variety of options in the bowling department.

In contrast to their hosts, New Zealand have won just four Tests in their entire ATG history, and one would feel that the tour will be largely an exercise in damage limitation for the Black Caps. John Reid retains the captaincy and leads a squad that contains two uncapped players in Andrew Jones and Tony MacGibbon, Jones being included at the expense of Bevan Congdon, whose run of just two fifties in his last 21 innings has cost him his place in the squad.

Current form (most recent result first)
West Indies WLWWW
New Zealand LDLLL

Previous series result
New Zealand 0 West Indies 2 (Season I, 3 Tests)

New Zealand Squad
JR Reid (c), MD Crowe (v/c), SL Boock, RO Collinge, J Cowie, MP Donnelly, BA Edgar, RJ Hadlee, AH Jones, AR MacGibbon, AC Parore, DN Patel, B Sutcliffe, BR Taylor, GM Turner, KJ Wadsworth.

India v West Indies - Series Summary

India and West Indies have now met on three occasions in the ATG arena, and on all three occasions West Indies have emerged as 2-1 victors come the end of the series. Garry Sobers' tourists deserved their win here, with two decisive victories bookending the series as the West Indian spinners largely outbowled their hosts' counterparts on a succession of turning wickets. The exception was in the second Test in Mumbai, where twin centuries from Pataudi jnr extricated India from deep trouble and allowed his side to record their first home win in eight attempts.

Pataudi was the stand out batsman on either side but he received scant support from his top order, with Mohammad Azharuddin enduring a horror series that included three ducks in six innings. Kapil Dev was generally unable to maintain his good recent form, and there were rarely enough runs on the board to allow the Indian spinners to attack in the manner that they would have liked.

For West Indies, Rohan Kanhai made the most of Clive Lloyd's absence through injury to top the tourists' batting averages, and there were enough contributions from the rest of the line-up to ensure that India were always under pressure. Marshall and Walsh toiled admirably in unfavourable conditions, but it was the spin of Gibbs and Valentine that proved decisive in the first and third Tests, with Valentine's ten wicket haul in Chennai the first such return by a West Indian slow bowler. West Indies now move above South Africa into third place in the world rankings having won their last four series, and a comprehensive victory in the upcoming engagement with New Zealand could see them challenging England for top spot come the end of ATG Season V.

Leading Series Averages

India Batting

MAK Pataudi 391 runs @ 65.17, Kapil Dev 150 @ 25.00, VS Hazare 123 @ 24.60, SM Gavaskar 133 @ 22.17, M Prabhakar 125 @ 20.83

India Bowling

EAS Prasanna 9 wkts @ 14.11, BS Chandrasekhar 10 @ 29.10, S Venkataraghavan 7 @ 31.43, M Prabhakar 5 @ 32.80, Kapil Dev 6 @ 37.00

West Indies Batting

RB Kanhai 275 runs @ 68.75, PJL Dujon 166 @ 41.50, IVA Richards 207 @ 41.40, DL Haynes 198 @ 39.60, GStA Sobers 104 @ 26.00

West Indies Bowling

AL Valentine 11 wkts @ 18.91, LR Gibbs 15 @ 22.20, CA Walsh 12 @ 23.00, GStA Sobers 8 @ 23.13, MD Marshall 9 @ 25.67

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-1

Men of the Series: MAK Pataudi & RB Kanhai

India v West Indies - Third Test

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

India: SM Gavaskar, M Prabhakar, M Amarnath, VS Hazare, M Azharuddin, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, MH Mankad, +SMH Kirmani, S Venkataraghavan, BS Chandrasekhar.
West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh, AL Valentine.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & CJ Mitchley (SAF)
Toss: India

The momentum was with India after their stirring victory in Mumbai, and with the curator in Chennai serving up yet another wicket that was expected to favour spin, the home fans fancied their team's chances of recording a first ever series victory over West Indies. However, it was the tourists' slow men who made hay initially, and by tea on the first day the Indians had been bowled out for a paltry 138, with Alf Valentine grabbing the impressive figures of 6-33 off 20 overs in just his second appearance.

Valentine and Gibbs - who claimed his 100th ATG victim when he dismissed Mankad - bowled well, but there was no excuse for India's poor showing with the bat, and West Indies made their hosts pay to the fullest extent as they racked up the best part of 500 runs over the course of the next day and a half. Greenidge and Haynes started things off with a splendid opening stand of 163, by far the highest in the series for either side, and whilst Greenidge fell for 81, Haynes went on to record a fine hundred as India's bowlers struggled to exert any control.

Richards nearly joined him in three figures, but he fell four short after playing an increasingly assured innings that contained sixteen fours and one six, and upon his dismissal Dujon kept the board ticking over, stroking his way to an attractive 72 to take West Indies to an imposing total of 482 and a lead of 344. With the game not even having reached lunch on the third day India's task looked nigh on impossible, and there was every chance of another early finish as wickets fell steadily in the hosts' second innings.

Amarnath showed brief promise in reaching 41, but an excellent leg-cutter from Marshall accounted for him, and at 115-5 the game looked up for the Indians. Pataudi and Kapil Dev showed great application in taking their team through to stumps though, and they continued to bat defiantly throughout the morning and into the afternoon on day four in a stand that was reminiscent of Pataudi's liaison with Prabhakar in the previous Test. Both men batted with great care to blunt Sobers' bowling rotations, but with the stand worth 175, the sixth highest ever for the sixth wicket, Valentine returned to remove Pataudi for 88, a breakthrough which he followed up nine runs later by bowling Kapil Dev for 83, his highest score of the series.

India were 299-7 at this stage, still 45 behind, and although Mankad and Kirmani were able to add a further 64 valuable runs for the eighth wicket, India's final total of 373 left West Indies a target of just 30 to take the series. The tourists needlessly lost three cheap wickets in the scramble to secure the win before the close on day four, and the sides had to come back on the fifth morning to enable West Indies to knock off the remaining five runs they needed to complete victory. Garry Sobers' men had learned from their mistakes in Mumbai, and Valentine's first day performance put India behind the eight ball from the word go. West Indies deserved their victory, both in this match and in the series as a whole, and they now return to the Caribbean to take on New Zealand in a series that will complete the fifth season of ATG cricket.

Scores
IND 1st Inns 138 (Gavaskar 44; Valentine 6-33)
WI 1st Inns 482 (Haynes 107, Richards 96, Greenidge 81, Dujon 72; Venkataraghavan 4-136)
IND 2nd Inns 373 (Pataudi 88, Kapil Dev 83, Mankad 43, Amarnath 41; Valentine 4-102)
WI 2nd Inns 30-3

WEST INDIES WON BY 7 WICKETS


Man of the Match: AL Valentine

India v West Indies - Second Test

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

India: SM Gavaskar, MH Mankad, M Amarnath, VS Hazare, M Azharuddin, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar.
West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh, AL Valentine.

Debuts: AL Valentine (WI)
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & RS Dunne (NZL)
Toss: India

Faced with a pitch that was expected to turn almost from the off, both sides made alterations in their slow bowling ranks, India recalling Prasanna in place of Venkat whilst West Indies handed a debut to Alf Valentine as Michael Holding dropped out of the XI. It was pace that reduced India to a decidedly precarious 67-5 on the first morning though, with Courtney Walsh in particular extracting some early life from the wicket, but the tail wagged to great effect under Pataudi's guidance, and a first innings total of 289 represented a commendable comeback for the hosts.

Pataudi was dropped by Richards on 51, but his first ATG century was thoroughly deserved, and after Prasanna (19*) and Chandrasekhar (a career-high 17) frustrated West Indies with a last wicket stand of 35 on the second morning, India took control as their spinners gave the tourists a lesson in how to bowl on a dusting Wankhede wicket. The swing of Prabhakar removed both openers cheaply, and only a sixth wicket stand of 77 between Sobers and Dujon propped up the innings as Prasanna completed a five wicket haul on his recall.

West Indies were eventually bowled out for 203 an hour before stumps on the second evening, conceding a lead of 86 to India, but by lunch on the following the day they were right back in the game as the Indian top order failed for the second time in the match. Led by a rampant Malcolm Marshall, West Indies' pace attack left the innings in tatters at 51-7 half an hour before lunch on the third day, and one more wicket would surely have sealed the deal for the tourists. Pataudi was still there though, and there were to be no further breakthroughs until after tea as he and Prabhakar set about compiling the second highest eighth wicket stand in ATG history. Prabhakar nudged and nurdled his way to 71, his highest ever score, whilst Pataudi batted in an appropriately princely fashion to reach his second century of the match, the pair adding a remarkable 158 in just 43 overs as the game slipped away from West Indies.

Gibbs and Valentine were simply unable to take advantage of what should have been favourable conditions, and India's final total of 235 set West Indies a daunting target of 322 to win both the match and the series. Greenidge again went early, but fifties from Haynes and Kanhai took the tourists to the relatively comfortable position of 179-3 early on the fourth afternoon, and one could sense the feeling uneasiness that was building around the ground. West Indies lost Kanhai and Sobers in quick succession at this point though, and India grabbed the chance they had been given with both hands. Richards played his way back into some form with a belligerent 67, but he soon ran out of partners and became one of Prasanna's nine victims in the match as India's spinners again scythed their way through the tail.

West Indies lost their last five wickets for just 18 on the way to being bowled out for 240, and India's victory by 81 runs ties up the series ahead of the third and final Test in Chennai. Spin had been the key here, with Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Mankad picking up seventeen wickets between them compared to the four claimed by Gibbs and Valentine, but it was the twin centuries of skipper Pataudi that will be forever remembered, his second innings partnership with Prabhakar capping one of the greatest comeback victories in the ATG history book.

Scores
IND 1st Inns 289 (Pataudi 106, Kapil Dev 43, Gavaskar 41; Walsh 4-68)
WI 1st Inns 203 (Dujon 55, Sobers 44, Kanhai 41; Prasanna 5-54)
IND 2nd Inns 235 (Pataudi 101, Prabhakar 71; Marshall 4-55)
WI 2nd Inns 240 (Kanhai 71, Richards 67, Haynes 53; Prasanna 4-73)

INDIA WON BY 81 RUNS


Man of the Match: MAK Pataudi