New Zealand v West Indies - First Test

Basin Reserve, Wellington

New Zealand: GM Turner, CS Dempster, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, CL Cairns, RJ Hadlee, +IDS Smith, J Cowie, SL Boock.
West Indies: RC Fredericks, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, EdeC Weekes, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, WW Hall, CC Griffith, J Garner, CA Walsh.

Debuts: CL Cairns (NZL) & CC Griffith (WI)
Umpires: DL Orchard (SAF) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: West Indies

Despite the potentially one-sided nature of this series, two debuts and a multiplicity of recalls on both sides brought an element of the unknown to the first Test in Wellington, and neither captain knew quite what to make of the pitch either; it was rock hard, which would aid the stroke players, but patches of live, green grass promised to give the bowlers some assistance too.

Sobers won the toss and elected to bat, but the innings stumbled to 45-3 before a pair of attacking fifties from Weekes and Worrell and a boundary laden 35 from Sobers himself re-established the equilibrium. Half an hour before tea the score had reached 186-4, but Sobers and Worrell then departed in consecutive overs to derail West Indies' recovery. Worrell was run out courtesy of a direct hit by Reid, and it took an extraordinarily resilient 33 from Hall at number eight to drag the innings up to a disappointing final total of 272.

Hadlee was expensive yet penetrative
in West Indies' first innings

Hadlee returned the excellent figures of 6-94, but by lunch on the second day the Blackcaps had themselves slipped to a precarious 50-3 in a repeat of the tourists' first morning struggles. Turner and Donnelly staged New Zealand's own rescue act with a stand of 131 though, and once Turner was finally out for 71 both Reid and Cairns contributed to fifty stands with Donnelly, who went on to bring up a wonderfully ebullient century. Cairns looked particularly comfortable at the crease after a wicketless debut with the ball, but in the day's last over an injudicious slog against the part-time spin of Fredericks cost him his wicket, and with Hadlee departing lbw to the very next ball a collapse had begun that would send New Zealand spiralling from 306-5 to 325 all out on the third morning. Donnelly failed to add to his overnight score of 144 but a 53 run lead had been secured nonetheless, and West Indies' top order misfired again as their second innings followed the same script as the first.

Donnelly's hundred was undoubtedly
one of his finest ever innings

Fredericks made a career-high 47, but upon his dismissal West Indies were 74-4 and in distinct trouble as Hadlee and Cowie again bowled well in tandem. However, an early collapse was once again followed by a stabilising partnership, and on this occasion Worrell and Sobers looked like they could be playing a winning hand. Both partners passed fifty as the runs accumulated, but with the score on 223-4 and the lead up to 170, Hadlee found the edge of Worrell's bat to send him on his way for a fine 82, and with the partnership broken at 149 the floodgates suddenly opened. Hadlee also removed Sobers for 67 soon after, and with the innings suddenly in disarray Cowie ran through the tail to emulate Hadlee's six wicket haul in the first innings. West Indies had been bowled out for 254 having lost their last six wickets for just 31 runs, and New Zealand now had two whole days in which to score the 202 runs that would secure them the most famous of victories.

Scores of 67 and 82 made for a profitable
return to the side for Frank Worrell

New Zealand had folded when in an almost identical position against Australia in Brisbane last season though, and it was sadly a case of deja vu for Blackcaps fans on the fourth morning here as the innings crumbled in the face of a remorseless barrage from Hall, Griffith and Garner. By lunch the score was a calamitous 62-5, and although Turner was still there the wind had been well and truly taken out of New Zealand's sails. Turner was eventually seventh out for a fighting 57, but with no-one else getting past 13 it was a sorry effort from the Kiwis, and their target was never remotely threatened. Sobers' spin ran through the tail, and Garner applied the coup de grace by bowling Cowie for 12 shortly after tea to end the innings on 134 and clinch a 67 run victory for West Indies. Just as they had done in the Caribbean last season, New Zealand had pushed their opponents to the brink only to come up short, and one is left to wonder whether the hosts' best chance of an upset in this series has been and gone already.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 272 (Weekes 70, Worrell 67; Hadlee 6-94)
NZL 1st Inns 325 (Donnelly 144, Turner 71, Cairns 44)
WI 2nd Inns 254 (Worrell 82, Sobers 67, Fredericks 47; Cowie 6-62)
NZL 2nd Inns 134 (Turner 57; Sobers 4-32)

WEST INDIES WON BY 67 RUNS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 259-9 (Hall 23*, Walsh 2*; 90 ov)
Day 2 - New Zealand 1st innings 306-7 (Donnelly 144*, Smith 0*; 82 ov)
Day 3 - West Indies 2nd innings 254 (75.4 ov)
Day 4 - New Zealand 2nd innings 134 (55.1 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Turner & Weekes both passed 3000 career runs

Man of the Match: MP Donnelly