Kiwis send hosts to another defeat
Brian Lara's knock could not avert defeat for the West Indies
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Thursday, 29, Mar 2007 11:08
After a promising start to their cricket World Cup campaign, the West Indies are perilously close to being knocked out of the competition after New Zealand strolled to a seven-wicket win in their Super Eight match.
The competition's hosts lost a crucial toss and were put in to bat on a greasy surface that proved responsive to New Zealand's seam attack.
Jacob Oram rattled through the top order after Shane Bond drew an early edge from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but it seemed that, at 128-4, Brain Lara's men might be consolidating ahead of posting a decent total.
But supported by another two wickets from Bond, spinner Daniel Vettori ensured that the pace-light West Indies bowlers would have little to defend as he picked off the tail-enders and reduced them to 177 all out.
The weather threatened to skew the outcome through the Duckworth-Lewis method and the Black Caps showed little aggression as they initially defended wickets with the clouds darkening overhead.
But in the end only one brief break in play was needed and, after a couple of breakthroughs from Daren Powell, the New Zealand batsman grew increasingly confident as Scott Styris (80 not out), Craig McMillan (33 not out) and Stephen Fleming (45) saw them home.